Normal Mode Decomposition
| x10 = 1 | f+ = 2.0 | |||
| x20 = 0 | f- = 2.1 |
| x10 = 1 | f+ = 2.0 | |||
| x20 = 0 | f- = 2.1 |
This applet demonstrates a normal mode decomposition for a two-mass oscillating system. |x₁〉 and |x₂〉 are the directions for the physical oscillators (mass 1 and mass 2), while |e₊〉 and |e₋〉 represent the normal mode directions, which are linear combinations of the physical directions. As the system evolves in time the extent of the oscillation along the physical axes varies: one body may oscillate more over time while the other oscillates less, and vice versa. However, the oscillations along the mode axes remain constant the entire time.
The initial conditions can be adjusted with the two sliders on the left, while the mode frequencies can be adjusted with the two sliders on the right.