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Difference between Damped and Undamped Oscillations
In electrical and electronics engineering, a periodic vibration in voltage or current is known as oscillation or electronic oscillation. Oscillation in electronics can also defined as a process of repeating cyclic vibrations of voltage or current about its equilibrium value in time.
The number of times the cycle repeats per second is known as the frequency of the oscillation and is measured in cycles per seconds or Hertz (Hz).
Some energy at a specific frequency is required to produce the oscillations, this requirement is fulfilled with the help of an electronic circuit called oscillator. An oscillator is an electronic circuit which is used to produce periodic oscillations in the form of electrical signals such as voltage or current.
Oscillators are classified into two types viz. sinusoidal oscillator and non-sinusoidal oscillator. In this article, we shall confine our attention only on the sinusoidal oscillators. A sinusoidal oscillator is the one which can produce an output having a sine waveform.
Depending upon the amplitude and frequency determining components, the oscillations produced by a sinusoidal oscillator can be classified into two types, i.e.
Damped Oscillation
Undamped Oscillation
In this article, let's take a look at the major differences between damped oscillations and undamped oscillations.
What is Damped Oscillation?
The type of oscillation whose amplitude decreases with time is known as damped oscillation. Therefore, the damped oscillation is the oscillation which reduced in magnitude with time. The decrease in the amplitude of the damped oscillation is mainly due the energy losses in the electrical system in which the oscillations are produced. The graphical representation of the damped oscillation is shown in Figure-1.
A damped oscillation will fade away with time. Damped oscillations may be further classified in the three main type, i.e., underdamped oscillation, critically damped oscillations and overdamped oscillations. The common examples of damped oscillations are a swinging pendulum, an RLC circuit, or a weight on a spring, etc.
What is Undamped Oscillation?
When the amplitude of an oscillation remains unchanged with the time, it is known as undamped oscillation. Undamped oscillations are produced by compensating the losses occurring in the electrical system in which the oscillations are generating. The typical waveform of an undamped oscillatory signal is shown in Figure-2.
Therefore, undamped oscillations have a constant magnitude and do not die out with the time. The oscillators which are used generate undamped oscillation are called self-excited oscillators. A common example of undamped oscillation is the alternating current wave.
Difference between Damped Oscillation and Undamped Oscillation
The following table highlights the major differences between damped oscillations and undamped oscillations −
Basis of Difference | Damped Oscillation | Undamped Oscillation |
|---|---|---|
Definition | An oscillation whose magnitude decreases with time is known as damped oscillation. | The type of oscillation whose magnitude remains unchanged with time is known as undamped oscillation. |
Amplitude | The amplitude of damped oscillation is variable. | The amplitude of an undamped oscillation is constant. |
Energy loss | The energy of the damped oscillation lost with the time due to losses inherent in the electrical system used for producing the oscillations. | In case of undamped oscillations, there is no energy loss or a provision to compensate the energy loss in the system. |
Life of oscillation | Damped oscillations will die out eventually. | Undamped oscillations will not die out with time, i.e. oscillates indefinitely. |
Constant parameter | In case of damped oscillations, the frequency of the oscillations remains unchanged as it is a function of the circuit parameters. | In case of undamped oscillations, the amplitude of the oscillations remains constant. |
Types | Damped oscillations can be classified into three types as −
| There is no further classification of undamped oscillations based on the variation in the oscillation. |
Examples | Some common examples of damped oscillations are: swinging pendulum, guitar string vibrations, RLC circuit, weight on a spring, etc. | The common example of undamped oscillations are alternating current or voltage wave, swinging pendulum in vacuum, etc. |
Conclusion
The most significant difference between damped and undamped oscillations is that the amplitude of the damped oscillation changes with time while the amplitude of an undamped oscillation remains constant with time. An ideal oscillating system does not produce damped oscillations. Damped oscillations are the results of energy loss in the electrical system used for generating the oscillations.
Both damped and undamped oscillations find applications in many electrical and electronic systems such as computers, instrumentation systems, pendulum clocks, wireless transmitters and receivers, etc.
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