Resonance in Mechanical Systems (Driving Frequency, Natural Frequency, Amplitude, Transfer of Energy)

What is resonance?

In this post, we conduct an investigation to explore resonance in mechanical systems, as a part of the Prelim Physics course under the module Waves and Thermodynamics and sub-part Wave Behaviour. We learn about the relationships between driving frequency, the natural frequency of the oscillating system, amplitude of motion and the transfer/transformation of energy within the system. Resonance is the tendency of a system to vibrate with increasing amplitudes at unique frequencies of excitation.

The following two videos go over the topic of resonance, with the first video explaining the various relationships between waves and resonance and the second video demonstrating natural frequency in an experiment.