Definition:Free Vibration

Definition
Consider a physical system $S$ whose behaviour can be described with the second order ODE in the form:
 * $(1): \quad \dfrac {\mathrm d^2 x} {\mathrm d t^2} + 2 b \dfrac {\mathrm d x} {\mathrm d t} + a^2 x = 0$

for $a, b \in \R_{>0}$.

Let $b < a$, so as to make $S$ underdamped.

Then the motion of $S$ is referred to as free vibration of $S$.


 * Underdamped.png

Also known as
Free vibration is also known as free oscillation.