In damped oscillation, suppose, an oscillator having mass
M and force constant
k is acted upon by a resistive force
F0. It is found that the resistive force is proportional to the velocity
(v) of the oscillator. Inbl is
Fb=bv, where
b is a constant and is called the damping factor.
If
x be the instantaneous displacement of the oscillator, then
M=−kx−bv So, a particle oscillating under a force
=−k−b is a damped oscillator.