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Natural Sciences · Intermediate

Waves & Oscillations

Bounce springs and swing pendulums to discover simple harmonic motion. Then send waves down a string, make them interfere, find the notes of a guitar, and hear the Doppler effect. Finally, see why oscillations die away, how waves reflect at boundaries, and how coupled pendulums trade energy.

9 lessons~50 min0/9 complete
Start courseHelpful background: Energy, and Trigonometry
1

Oscillations

Back and forth, again and again.

  1. SpringsSimple harmonic motion
  2. PendulumsNature’s clock
2

Waves

Disturbances that travel.

  1. Traveling WavesWavelength, frequency, speed
  2. InterferenceWhen waves add up, or cancel
  3. Strings & MusicStanding waves and harmonics
  4. The Doppler EffectWhy sirens change pitch
3

Energy, Boundaries and Coupling

Damping, reflection and normal modes.

  1. DampingWhy oscillations die away
  2. Reflection & ImpedanceWhat happens at the end of the line
  3. Coupled OscillatorsEnergy that swaps back and forth

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