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Question #42638

Difficulty: 8/10 | 🟢 Free

The Question

A damped harmonic oscillator consists of a mass mm, a spring of constant kk, and a damping medium providing a damping force −bx˙-b\dot{x}. It is driven by a time-varying force F(t)=F0cos⁡(θ(t))F(t) = F_0 \cos(\theta(t)), where the instantaneous driving frequency ω(t)=dθdt\omega(t) = \frac{d\theta}{dt} is slowly swept linearly as ω(t)=ω0+βt\omega(t) = \omega_0 + \beta t. Here ω0=k/m\omega_0 = \sqrt{k/m} is the undamped natural frequency, and β\beta is a small positive constant. Assuming the system continuously adapts to a quasi-steady state, its displacement is x(t)=A(t)cos⁡(θ(t)−δ(t))x(t) = A(t) \cos(\theta(t) - \delta(t)), where δ(t)\delta(t) is the instantaneous phase lag. At t=0t=0, the driving frequency passes through resonance (ω=ω0\omega = \omega_0). What is the difference between the instantaneous frequency of the driving force and the instantaneous frequency of the displacement at t=0t=0?

Options

  • A.

    2mβb\frac{2m\beta}{b}

  • B.

    mβ2b\frac{m\beta}{2b}

  • C.

    bβ2mω02\frac{b\beta}{2m\omega_0^2}

  • D.

    00

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Step-by-Step Solution

Explanation

How the Examiner Thinks

Intuition_Breaker

Train your brain to resist "obvious" answers that are designed to deceive your intuition.

Concepts Behind This Question

Phase Difference vs. Path Difference|Driven Oscillations and Resonance|Differential Equations

Why This Question Is Tricky

Common Mistakes

This question targets the misconception that the phase lag in a driven oscillator is a static constant, akin to a fixed spatial path difference in wave interference.

When the driving frequency is time-varying (frequency modulation or chirping), the phase lag evolves dynamically.

Students often fail to recognize that the instantaneous frequency of the physical response is the time derivative of the entire phase argument, which introduces a transient frequency shift equal to the rate of change of the phase lag.

By asking for the frequency difference, the problem forces students to differentiate the steady-state phase relation implicitly with respect to time, avoiding rote application of resonance formulas and testing deep conceptual understanding of phase accumulation.

Quick Facts About This Question

Question Information

SubjectPhysics
ChapterWaves - Class 11 Part 2
ConceptPhase Difference vs. Path Difference
Difficulty8
Cognitive Load7
Target Solve Time160 sec
AccessFree