Coupled Oscillators

Energy that swaps back and forth

An interactive lesson with 7 steps, about 6 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Coupled oscillators share energy back and forth.
• Their motion is a mix of normal modes, each with its own frequency.
• Energy hands over in half a beat period: 1/(2Δf).

Steps

1. Two pendulums and a spring
2. Normal modes
3. The handover
4. A five-second handover
5. Close frequencies
6. Modes everywhere
7. Swinging together