Acoustics and Vibration Animations
Daniel A. Russell
Graduate Program in Acoustics, The Pennsylvania State University

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Mass-Spring System with Damping

animation showing two oscillating mass-spring systems. The black mass-spring on the left does not have any damping and its amplitude remains constant as it oscillates. The blue mass-spring on the right has damping and its ampltiude decreases as it oscillates.

This animation shows two 1-DOF mass-spring systems initially at rest, but displaced from equilibrium by \( x=x_{\rm max|} \). The black mass on the left is undamped and the blue mass on the right is damped (underdamped). After being released from rest the undamped (black) mass exhibits simple harmonic motion with a constant amplitude while the damped (blue) mass exhibits an oscillatory motion which decays with time as the damping removes energy each cycle of oscillation