Category: Waves & Oscillations

Sound is a mechanical vibration that travels as waves through solids, liquids, and gases. Humans typically hear in the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but when frequencies exceed this upper limit, we enter the realm of ultrasonics—sound waves with frequencies above 20 kHz. Although inaudible to our ears, ultrasonic waves are incredibly powerful…

Music is one of humanity’s oldest and most profound forms of expression. From the rhythmic beating of ancient drums to the complex harmonies of a modern symphony, music captivates us in ways that simple noise does not. What transforms a basic vibration of air molecules into an inspiring melody is not only the pitch or…

Oscillations—periodic motions that repeat in time—are everywhere: from the swing of a pendulum to the vibration of molecules. Classical physics often begins with linear oscillations, like the simple harmonic motion of a mass on a spring. Linear systems are predictable; double the force and you double the response. But nature is rarely perfectly linear. Nonlinear…

Imagine tuning a guitar string against a reference pitch. As the two notes approach the same frequency, you hear a pulsing “wah-wah” sound—fast at first, then slower, until it disappears when the string is perfectly tuned. This rhythmic fluctuation of loudness is called a beat. The phenomenon of beats is a striking example of wave…

Human hearing is a marvel of biological engineering.With a few cubic centimeters of air, delicate membranes, and microscopic hair cells, the ear transforms tiny pressure fluctuations into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. But hearing is more than just detection of sound waves.The ear is itself a resonant system, carefully tuned to amplify…

Introduction Earthquakes have shaped human history, destroying cities, inspiring new engineering methods, and teaching us about the dynamic nature of our planet. When the ground shakes, buildings vibrate. How a structure responds to those vibrations determines whether it survives with minor cracks or collapses completely.Understanding the vibrations of buildings during earthquakes is therefore a cornerstone…

Waves are everywhere. They ripple across oceans, vibrate through the air as sound, shimmer as light, and even travel as gravitational disturbances across the cosmos.But beyond their graceful motion lies a fundamental truth: waves transport energy. From the crash of surf on a beach to the gentle hum of a guitar string, waves move energy…

Introduction When you hear the wail of a passing ambulance, you might notice that the siren sounds higher in pitch as it approaches and lower in pitch as it moves away. This everyday experience is a perfect demonstration of the Doppler Effect. First described by Austrian physicist Christian Doppler in 1842, the Doppler Effect is…

Waves—whether sound, water, light, or electromagnetic—are all around us.But the most striking behaviors of waves emerge not when a single wave travels in isolation, but when two or more waves meet and overlap.This meeting leads to the fascinating phenomena of superposition and interference. From the colorful patterns of soap bubbles to the beating sound of…

Oscillations are everywhere: the swaying of a suspension bridge, the ringing of a guitar string, the flicker of an electrical circuit.Many of these motions do not happen in isolation. Instead, they are driven—sustained or influenced by external forces.Such motion is described as driven oscillation or forced vibration, and it is one of the most important…