Q. Define Damped Oscillations and explain working of shock absorbers.

 Damped Oscillations:

“The oscillations of a system in the presence of some resistive forces are damped oscillation and an oscillating system in which friction has an effect is a damped system.”

The oscillating system cannot be assumed to have a fixed amplitude unless energy is provided to them. The resistive or damped forces progressively reduce the amplitude of the oscillation. If a simple harmonic motion is subjected to frictional forces, the amplitude of freely oscillating objects progressively decreases. The friction not only affects the amplitude but also slightly reduces the frequency. An oscillation that fades away over time is called damped oscillation; The oscillations of a system in the presence of some resistive forces are damped oscillations.

For Example: A knock against a table causes the table to vibrate. This reverberation also fades away often after completing many hundreds of vibrations.

Working of Shock Absorbers: The practical application of damped motion is shock absorbers in automobiles. A shock absorber consists of a piston that moves through a liquid such as oil. The upper part of the shock absorber is firmly connected to the body of the automobile, when travels over a bump, the automobile may vibrate violently. The shock absorbers dampen these vibrations and convert their mechanical energy into the thermal energy of the oil.