What is resonance?

The term "resonance" is often confused with the terms "natural frequency" so we will begin by defining natural frequencies.

Natural frequencies

A natural frequency is a frequency at which a structure "likes" to vibrate. A common example is a child on a swing (or a pendulum) - when the child on the swing is pushed, the swing will move back and forth at a particular frequency. This is its natural frequency. In this simple case, the swing only has one natural frequency which is related to the length of the rope.

Where "w" is the natural frequency, "g" is gravity and "L" is the length of the rope.

Natural frequencies in complex structures

In a more complex structure, like a wine glass, a plate of metal, a bridge, a building or a machine, one will find a large number of natural frequencies, or frequencies at which the structure likes to vibrate. In fact, there are an infinite number of natural frequencies, each one associated with a particular pattern of vibration called a "mode" or a "mode shape." If we go back to the example of the swing, we could imaging that when moving front to back, the swing has a particular frequency of vibration, but what if we move it side to side? It may have a different frequency. Here is an even better example, instead of pushing the swing, let's twist it around and around and then let it go. What will happen? It will unwind (at a particular frequency) and then it will wind up the other way, then unwind etc. This is another form of movement (twisting) coinciding with a particular natural frequency.
Determining natural frequencies

Natural frequencies depend on mass and stiffness and to a lesser extent on damping, which is also a property of a structure.

This is a general formula, where "w"= natural frequency, "m" = mass and "k" = stiffness. If you have difficulty remembering this formula, just think of a guitar string. What happens to the frequency of the note as you tighten the string? (i.e. increase its stiffness) It goes up. What happens if you loosen the string? (i.e. decrease stiffness) It goes down. On a guitar, which string makes the lower frequency note, the fat (heavy or massive) string or the thin (light, not massive) string? The fat, heavy one is lower. Which in general creates lower frequency notes, a small violin or a large stand-up bass? The stand-up bass (it is more massive, higher "m") On a stereo system, if you want to get big bass tones (low frequencies) will you buy gigantic speakers or little tiny speakers? You will buy big speakers (more mass = lower natural frequency) In summary, natural frequencies are characteristics of a structure, related to its mass and its stiffness, whether the structure is vibrating or not, it has these characteristics.
So what is resonance?

Resonance is a condition or a situation that occurs when we excite a structure at its natural frequency. Again, a crystal glass sitting on a table has natural frequencies, or frequencies at which it likes to vibrate, whether it is vibrating or not. Let's say that one of the glasses' natural frequencies is 10 Hz or 10 cycles per second. Now let's say I vibrate the table that the glass is sitting on at this same frequency, 10 Hz. Now I am exciting the glass at its natural frequency and I have the condition called resonance.

In the figure above, we have a structure that has a natural frequency, on the left we have a forcing frequency that we are using to excite the structure. When the two frequencies coincide, we have resonance.
Why is resonance important to understand?

It takes very little force to vibrate something at its natural frequency. Consider the child on the swing again; as long as we are pushing the child at the same rate (same frequency) the swing wants to move, it takes very little force to make the child swing higher and higher. In other words, it takes just a little bit of force to greatly increase the amplitude of vibration. Consider the opposite effect, that of trying to move the child on the swing at a different frequency - trying the push the child forward while she is still swinging backwards. This will take quite a lot of force and will result in very little movement.
In the case of a resonant condition, the amplitude of vibration can continue to increase until it gets so high that it causes damage. This is the great danger of resonance and the reason why we want to avoid this condition as much as possible.
Breaking a wine glass with resonance

Before you watch the video below, turn down the volume a bit. What we will see in the video is a wine glass forced to vibrate at one of its natural frequencies - in other words, we will see a wine glass in a resonant condition. Note how the wine glass moves, the shape of the top of the glass as it vibrates. This is called a "mode" or "mode shape" and this particular shape coincides directly with this particular natural frequency (remember that the glass has a lot of natural frequencies). In fact, if you look and listen closely you will notice that the frequency changes at one point and the mode shape changes with it. As the glass is forced to vibrate at its natural frequency, the amplitude of the vibration increases until...

Girl breaks a glass with voice

In the same way as the glass was broken in the video above, in the one below, a girl will sing at a frequency equal to a natural frequency of the glass creating the damaging condition called resonance.

We thank the creators of these videos for allowing us to use them.