OSCILLATIONS

Life is a constant oscillation between the sharp horns of a dilemma – H.L. Mencken doll do when disturbed? It will dance such that the head and body move continuously in a to and fro motion, until the movement gradually stops. Similarly, when we walk on the road, our hands and legs will move front and back.

Again similarly, when a mother swings a cradle to make her child sleep, the cradle is made to move in to and fro motion. All these motions are different from the motion that we have discussed so far. These motions are shown in Figure . .

Generally, they are known as oscillatory motion or vibratory motion. A similar motion occurs even at atomic levels. When the temperature is raised, the atoms in a solid vibrate about their mean position or equilibrium position. The study of vibrational motion is very important in engineering applications, such as, designing the structure of building, mechanical equipments, etc.

Figure . . Thanjavur dancing doll