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Everyone is familiar with the motion of a mass attached to a spring. When displaced from equilibrium, the mass executes simple harmonic motion (assuming a linear spring). The presence of frictional forces results in an exponential decrease in the amplitude over time, so that the mass eventually returns to rest.

How to use this applet

Simply drag the mass from equilibrium using the mouse, and let go to start the motion. You can adjust the mass, the spring constant k (which quantifies the stiffness of the spring), and the damping. Pressing finish will stop the applet execution.

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What does this have to do with magnetism? This damped simple harmonic oscillator is basically a one dimensional version of the precessional motion demonstrated by the previous applet.

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Last updated: April 6 1997