natural frequency
Intrinsic vibration rate
Natural frequency is the rate at which a system oscillates when disturbed and left alone—no external force driving it.
Every physical object has one: a tuning fork, a bridge, a wine glass, a building.
When outside vibrations match this frequency, resonance occurs and oscillations amplify dramatically: The opera singer shattered the glass by hitting its natural frequency.
Engineers design structures to avoid natural frequencies that might coincide with wind, traffic, or earthquakes.
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- harmonic motionPeriodic movement around equilibrium
- pendulum swingWeighted pivot's periodic motion
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
damping · eigenvalues · wine glass · bridge collapse · differential equations · simple harmonic · amplitude · circadian rhythms · period · hertz · overtone · ringing · wavelength · sympathetic · pitch · phase shift · tuning · standing waves
- acousticssound waves, sound wave, sound, soundwave, vibration
- vibrationsvibration, oscillation, resonance, mechanical vibrations, tremor
- material dynamicsdamping, elasticity, viscoelasticity, stiffness, resonance
- resonanceresonance, harmonic, fundamental, node, antinode
- structural dynamicsresonance, oscillation
- vibrationoscillation, resonance, harmonic motion, damping, amplitude