Applications of Resonance in Real Life, Example?

In summary, resonance is a phenomenon where a structure produces oscillations that are amplified due to the positive feedback loop. This can occur with emotions, weather, and other physical objects.
  • #1
KhangChuan
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I wonder how and where does resonance is applied in our real life. Any example?
 
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  • #2
pushing someone on a swing , pedaling a bike
 
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  • #3
KhangChuan said:
I wonder how and where does resonance is applied in our real life. Any example?

Tuning a radio to a particular frequency.
 
  • #4
You take out your Lexus SUV on a warm day and roll down the windows. The intollerable, low frequency blub-blub-blub hits you going over 40 mph. You roll up the windows after 2 miles and turn on the airconditioner. Automobile resonance is a problem most CAD design systems don't handle, it seems.
 
  • #5
When the mind oscillates at its resonance frequency between emotions (Jealousy/Desire, Anxiety/Ecstasy) it leads to unusually high amplitudes which we call falling in love.
 
  • #6
LostConjugate said:
When the mind oscillates at its resonance frequency between emotions (Jealousy/Desire, Anxiety/Ecstasy) it leads to unusually high amplitudes which we call falling in love.

lolwut?
 
  • #8
alxm said:
A famous and particularly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce-PQqkIXe0" example.

Darn you! I wanted to give the Tacoma Narrows Bridge example. In some of the clips you can see a man walking along the centerline of the bridge while it is in full oscillation. The centerline was along a nodal point allowing the man to walk along it with only a relatively minor perturbation from the bridge's oscillations.
 
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  • #9
Dickfore said:
LostConjugate said:
When the mind oscillates at its resonance frequency between emotions (Jealousy/Desire, Anxiety/Ecstasy) it leads to unusually high amplitudes which we call falling in love.
lolwut?
I find that a reasonable description. Hard to prove, but reasonable.

Experiments have been done, and meeting a woman on something like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge does empirically increase the perception of her beauty.
 
  • #10
LostConjugate said:
When the mind oscillates at its resonance frequency between emotions (Jealousy/Desire, Anxiety/Ecstasy) it leads to unusually high amplitudes which we call falling in love.

You don't understand what resonance is.
 
  • #11
The bridge example is classic.

Another example (or anti-example) I believe is if there's an earthquake, sky scrapers may resonate and cause it to tip over. To counteract this, we place resonance buffers at the base. :)
 
  • #12
DaveC426913 said:
You don't understand what resonance is.
I certainly wouldn't have stated it as a valid example, as it's not intellectually honest as a claim, but it might be valid in some sense.
 
  • #13
my_wan said:
I certainly wouldn't have stated it as a valid example, as it's not intellectually honest as a claim, but it might be valid in some sense.

Well, even if we are very generous and grant that emotions behave the way he suggests, it's still not resonance.

Consider a comparable example: weather. The daily temperature in your city definitely has its ups and downs, but it is by no means any form of resonance.

Resonance involves a positive feedback loop of some sort. i.e.the value of the amplitude (distance from centreline) is fed back as input. The effect is cumulative. Therfe is also a negative fedeback loop (restoring force).

This applies to bridges, SUV cavities and swings - but not emotions or weather.
 
  • #14
DaveC426913 said:
Well, even if we are very generous and grant that emotions behave the way he suggests, it's still not resonance.

Consider a comparable example: weather. The daily temperature in your city definitely has its ups and downs, but it is by no means any form of resonance.

Resonance involves a positive feedback loop of some sort. i.e.the value of the amplitude (distance from centreline) is fed back as input. The effect is cumulative. Therfe is also a negative fedeback loop (restoring force).

This applies to bridges, SUV cavities and swings - but not emotions or weather.
Yes, your weather example is a good way to illustrate the distinction, and why the emotion example was woefully inappropriate as a claim of what it is.

However, if you look at the basic operation of neurons, it remains a reasonable assumption. It's even possible to graphically illustrate a form of Hebbian learning, analogous to neuronal activity, using a set of metronomes on a movable rubber base.

In a basic description, neurons have a base frequency (centerline). When activated (distanced from the centerline) a set of other associated neurons gets activated. Much like a pair of metronomes on a movable base will sync up their periodicity. These will cascade to more neurons, which feedback to the initial neurons. Epilepsy can be viewed as a runaway feedback effect, much like the bridge.

It's awfully presumptuous to go from this to some characterization of particular emotions. Not a technically valid claim. But neither is it entirely unreasonable.
 
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  • #15
How could that collapes be caused by resonance??

Wouldn't there have to be energy input at the resonant frequency of the structure... About .2hx from the look of the video. What would the source of this energy be? Only thing I can think of is an earthquake since it seems pretty implausible that wind was buffeting the structure at that exact frequency.
 
  • #16
Here is Steven Strogatz in a ted talk that demonstrate various related phenomena. He includes a scaled version of the bridge resonance, and the metronomes I mentioned.

Yes, Duncanstives. There has to be an energy input to collapse the bridge. Just like you have to add a steady supply of pushes to bring a swing from a resting position to a significant swing height. In the bridge it can be supplied by wind, or even the periodic motion of people walking on it, like in the Strogatz video.

Oops, forgot to link the video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_strogatz_on_sync.html
 
  • #17
An R-L-C circuit; one connecting a resistor, inductor and capacitor. It resonates between stored magnetic and electric energies. Please see, for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RLC_circuit.
 
  • #18
Once I was driving through a ctiy, and I saw a banner suspended across the street between two streetlamps. The wind was blowing at a moderate speed, which caused the banner to move. Through sheer chance, the resonant frequency of the banner's up and down motion happened to be the same as that of both streetlamps. Due to this fact, the whole deal was oscillating with extremely violent intensity: the motion of the streetlamps at the top (most motion) had an amplitude of several feet! Those laps were in serious danger of breaking, and they were pretty thick aluminum poles. If they went, some serious damage would have been done.
 
  • #19
Duncanstives said:
How could that collapes be caused by resonance??

Wouldn't there have to be energy input at the resonant frequency of the structure... About .2hx from the look of the video. What would the source of this energy be? Only thing I can think of is an earthquake since it seems pretty implausible that wind was buffeting the structure at that exact frequency.

The applied force was indeed wind.

Read about the collapse itself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge#Galloping_Gertie
Then read about the aeroelastic effecxt that caused it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroelasticity#Flutter
 
  • #20
your stomache's natural frequency is about 1.4Hz and you get sea sick because a boat matches that frequency.
 
  • #21
lazypast said:
your stomache's natural frequency is about 1.4Hz and you get sea sick because a boat matches that frequency.

What does it mean for your stomach to have a frequency?

Please provide some references about this, I'd like to read more about it.
 
  • #22
Resonance is used in particle accelerators. I work with a research group who does basic research on SRF cavities. These are waveguides made of niobium, which when cooled down to superconducting temperatures, can store EM fields, which build up resonantly to high fields.

This is a very efficient way of delivering energy to particles.
 
  • #23
Yeah, neurons definitely demonstrate a physiological resonance (it's how they're coupled), but drawing conclusions about emotions is a bit far yet.
 
  • #24
Pythagorean said:
Yeah, neurons definitely demonstrate a physiological resonance (it's how they're coupled), but drawing conclusions about emotions is a bit far yet.

Yeah, that's why I labeled the claim inappropriate. However, if you take a number of experiments in consideration, like probes on points in the brains inducing actions, emotions, memories, etc., it' still not unreasonable.

I might have even provided it as an example qualified with the appropriate conditionals or uncertainties.
 
  • #25
my_wan said:
Yeah, that's why I labeled the claim inappropriate. However, if you take a number of experiments in consideration, like probes on points in the brains inducing actions, emotions, memories, etc., it' still not unreasonable.

I might have even provided it as an example qualified with the appropriate conditionals or uncertainties.

Even Walter Lewin said "Falling in love is an example of resonance, and it can be very tiring so don't do it too often" in his very popular MIT lectures on resonance.
:approve:
 
  • #26
DaveC426913 said:
What does it mean for your stomach to have a frequency?

Please provide some references about this, I'd like to read more about it.

the only thing i can say is it came from my reputable lecturer during a natural frequency lecture. he said think of your stomache as a mass supported on 1 spring.
 

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1. How is resonance used in musical instruments?

Resonance is used in musical instruments to amplify sound and create rich, sustained tones. For example, in a guitar, the strings vibrate at specific frequencies, and when they resonate with the hollow body of the guitar, the sound is amplified. In wind instruments, such as flutes and clarinets, the air column inside the instrument resonates to produce sound.

2. Can resonance be harmful in real life?

Yes, resonance can be harmful in certain situations. For example, if a bridge or building is subjected to strong vibrations at its natural frequency, it can lead to structural damage. This is known as resonance disaster. In the medical field, resonance imaging (MRI) uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create images of the body, and excessive exposure to these fields can be harmful.

3. How is resonance used in communication systems?

In communication systems, resonance is used to transmit and receive signals. For instance, in radio and television broadcasting, the antenna is designed to resonate at a specific frequency to transmit signals. Similarly, in mobile phones and Wi-Fi routers, the antenna resonates to send and receive signals.

4. Is there any real-life example of resonance in chemistry?

Yes, one of the most well-known examples of resonance in chemistry is the benzene molecule. It is represented by a hexagon with a circle inside, which indicates that the electrons in the molecule are delocalized and can resonate between the different bonds. This results in a more stable molecule with unique properties.

5. How is resonance used in medical treatments?

Resonance is used in medical treatments such as ultrasound and lithotripsy. In ultrasound, high-frequency sound waves are resonated through the body, and the reflected waves are used to produce images of the internal organs. In lithotripsy, shock waves are resonated to break up kidney stones or gallstones, making them easier to pass through the body.

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