Harmonic oscillator

A system whose restoring force is proportional to displacement from equilibrium. Its motion is sinusoidal, with a frequency set by its inertia and restoring strength.

Hooke's law: A law stating that an ideal spring's restoring force is proportional to its displacement from equilibrium. It supplies the linear restoring force that defines the oscillator.
Equilibrium position: A position at which the net force on a system is zero. Displacement is measured from the equilibrium around which the system oscillates.
Pendulum: A mass suspended from a pivot that swings under gravity. At small angles, its motion approximates that of a harmonic oscillator.
Anharmonic oscillator: An oscillator whose restoring force is not exactly proportional to displacement. It captures nonlinear effects absent from the ideal harmonic model.
Simple harmonic motion: Periodic motion in which displacement varies sinusoidally with time. It is the motion produced by an ideal harmonic oscillator.
Restoring force: A force that acts to return a displaced system toward an equilibrium position. The oscillator is a special case with a restoring force linear in displacement.
LC circuit: An electrical circuit with an inductor and capacitor that exchanges stored magnetic and electric energy. Its charge and current oscillate like the position and velocity of a mechanical oscillator.
Nonlinear oscillator: An oscillating system whose dynamics include nonlinear relations between force and motion. Harmonic oscillators form a tractable limiting case within nonlinear dynamics.
Angular frequency: The rate of change of phase, measured in radians per unit time. The oscillator's angular frequency sets how quickly its phase advances.
Mass–spring system: A mass attached to a spring, forming a mechanical oscillator when displaced from equilibrium. It is the standard physical realization of a harmonic oscillator.

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