Sometimes waves do not seem to move; rather, they just vibrate in place. Unmoving waves can be seen on the surface of a glass of milk kept in a refrigerator, which is one example of standing waves. Vibrations from the refrigerator motor create waves on the milk that oscillate up and down but do not seem to move across the surface. These waves are formed or created by the superposition of two or more identical moving waves in opposite directions. The waves move through each other, with their...

A rigid body is said to be in dynamic equilibrium when both its linear and angular acceleration are zero, relative to an inertial frame of reference. This means that a body in equilibrium can be moving, but only when its linear and angular velocities are constant. A rigid body is said to be in static equilibrium when it is at rest in the selected frame of reference. The distinction between static equilibrium (e.g., a state of rest) and dynamic equilibrium (e.g, a state of uniform motion) is...

Static equilibrium is a special case in mechanics that is very important in everyday life. It occurs when the net force and the net torque on an object or system are both zero. This means that both the linear and angular accelerations are zero. Thus, the object is at rest, or its center of mass is moving at a constant velocity. However, this does not mean that no forces are acting on the object within the system. In fact, there are very few scenarios on Earth in which no forces are acting upon...

Simple harmonic motion is the name given to oscillatory motion for a system where the net force can be described by Hooke's law. If the net force can be described by Hooke's law and there is no damping (by friction or other non-conservative forces), then a simple harmonic oscillator will oscillate with equal displacement on either side of the equilibrium position. To derive an equation for period and frequency, the equation of motion is used. The period of a simple harmonic oscillator...

Motion draws our attention. Motion itself can be beautiful, causing us to marvel at the forces needed to create spectacular sights, such as that of a dolphin jumping out of the water, the flight of a bird, or the orbit of a satellite. The study of motion is kinematics, but kinematics only describes the way objects move—their velocity and acceleration. Dynamics considers the forces that affect the motion of moving objects and systems. Newton's laws of motion are the foundation of...

Creep refers to the time-dependent increase in strain under a sustained load, excluding other time-dependent deformations associated with shrinkage, swelling, and thermal expansion in concrete. The primary mechanism behind creep involves the loss of physically adsorbed water from the calcium silicate hydrate within the hydrated cement paste. This process is further exacerbated by concrete's non-linear stress-strain relationship, microcrack development in the interfacial transition zone, and...