← all cardsTopic 8 · Oscillations · Forced oscillations & resonance
Applications, one line each
Useful: microwave ovens (matched to water molecules) · radio tuning circuits · MRI · instrument sound boards. Destructive: bridges near f₀ (Tacoma Narrows 1940; soldiers break step) · buildings in earthquakes. Cures: dampers (Taipei 101's 660-tonne sphere) or shift f₀ by stiffening/adding mass.
What this actually means
Useful resonance: microwave ovens tuned to water molecules, radio tuning circuits, MRI, instrument sound boards. Destructive: bridges driven near f₀ (Tacoma Narrows 1940, soldiers breaking step on a bridge), buildings in earthquakes.
The cures are exactly two: add damping (Taipei 101's 660-tonne sphere) or move f₀ out of harm's way by stiffening or adding mass.
One line per example is all the exam wants; name something real.
Prove it — watch it be true
- Sweep to the resonance peak and note the amplification
- That amplification is every application: harvested when useful, feared when structural
- Raise the damping and watch the peak shrink — that is what Taipei 101's sphere does