Article
Article
Vibration
Article By:
Barger, Vernon D. Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
Last reviewed:December 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.731200
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- Vibration, published August 2020:Download PDF
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The term used to describe a continuing periodic change in the magnitude of a displacement with respect to a specified central reference. The periodic motion may range from the simple to-and-fro oscillations of a pendulum, through the more complicated vibrations of a steel plate when struck with a hammer, to the extremely complicated vibrations of large structures such as an automobile on a rough road. Vibrations are also experienced by atoms (Fig. 1), molecules, and nuclei. See also: Atom; Atomic nucleus; Molecule; Pendulum; Physics
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