Read my notes on Oscillations.
Open the Damped Oscillator Spreadsheet and do the following exercises.
1. Take the case of high damping: m = 1, k = 1, b = 10. By adjusting the initial position and/or velocity, and choosing suitable delta_t, produce two graphs: one showing slow decay, one very fast decay. State briefly what is going on physically in these two graphs to give the very different times.
Next, produce a graph in which both the slow decay time and the fast decay time are evident.
2. Read about the Q-factor, then produce a graph, with m = 1 and k = 1, which has a Q about 100.
3. Produce a graph, with m = 1 and k = 1, with critical damping.
Do the following problems in Halliday Chapter 19: 7, 32, 36.