Applications of Damping — Lesson 3

Having covered the fundamentals of damping, we see it is a broad and intricate topic. Damping is present in nearly all physical systems.  In the context of mechanics, we see it in many engineered systems. While we will cover two engineered examples in detail in our lecture, here are just a few other applications of damping you might encounter in day to day life.

If you have bungee jumped, then you are thankful for the damping effect. Take a look and observe the height of the jumper.

Without damping, the jumper would keep bouncing without end.  Thankfully that is not the case.  What types of physical damping dominate in this situation?

We experience damping in many sports like tennis or basketball. Notice the rebound of the ball and what happens over time. Now, what happens to the rebound of a ball when it is low on air? Does damping increase or decrease?

Lecture

In this next section, we will apply what has been learned via a few real-world examples.

Alternate video link.

Handout

Here are the accompanying handout slides for this lesson.