Damping

Why oscillations die away

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Damping makes the amplitude decay exponentially.
• Critical damping (ζ = 1) returns fastest without overshoot.
• The quality factor Q measures how slowly energy is lost.

Steps

1. Losing energy
2. Fading swings
3. Tune the suspension
4. Worn shock absorbers
5. The quality factor
6. Crystal clocks