alleryStart learning →What is meant by the natural frequency of a system?
AThe frequency it takes up with no driving or damping
BThe frequency of the force that is driving it
CThe frequency at which its amplitude is smallest
DThe frequency at which damping is strongest
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The frequency it takes up with no driving or damping
1. Natural frequency belongs to the system itself, set by its own mass and stiffness.
2. It is the frequency the system would oscillate at with no driving force and no damping force acting.
3. The driving frequency is imposed from outside and need not match it at all.
4. Amplitude is largest, not smallest, when a system is driven at its natural frequency.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 16 "Oscillatory Motion and Waves", section 16.8 Forced Oscillations and Resonance_
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