Resonance in Harmonic Oscillator
Push a swing at the right rhythm and small pushes build a large swing; push at the wrong rhythm and nothing happens. This simulation drives an oscillator at a frequency you choose and plots the amplitude response as you sweep through resonance.
How to use this simulation
- Sweep the driving frequency through the natural frequency
- Adjust the damping and the driving amplitude
- Watch the resonance curve build point by point
What to look for
- Amplitude peaks sharply when the driving frequency matches the natural frequency
- Increasing damping lowers and broadens the peak
- The driven oscillation lags the driving force by a quarter cycle at resonance
The physics behind it
Every oscillator has a natural frequency f₀ at which it prefers to vibrate. When the driving frequency matches it, each push arrives in step with the motion and energy accumulates, so the amplitude climbs to a sharp peak. Damping limits how high that peak goes and how narrow it is — light damping gives a tall, sharp resonance; heavy damping flattens it.