Intro to Damping — Lesson 1

Have you ever wondered what is keeping your car's tires firmly in contact with the road after hitting a bump?  How about what keeps the ride nice and smooth, not overly rough, but also not overly bouncy?  Maybe you have ridden in an older vehicle in disrepair and noticed these effects.

Or why does a swing always need that added push to keep moving?

The common factor between these two examples is that they are the result of damping.

Lecture

In this lesson, we will learn the meaning of damping and how it is present in nearly all systems, natural, biological, and mechanical.  It is especially crucial in designing engineered mechanical systems, as we will discuss in the coming lessons.

Alternate video link.

Handout

Here are the accompanying handout slides for this lesson.