A

David

Darling

damping

Damped oscillations.

Damped oscillations.


Damping is the gradual slowing down of the oscillations in a vibrating mechanical system. It occurs as the system loses energy to overcome friction or other resistance; this is why a swinging pendulum gradually slows down. A mechanism may be deliberately damped to facilitate reading an oscillating needle or to slow down an oscillating balance. Damping that stops the oscillation in the shortest possible time is called critical damping.