Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Harmonic oscillators are incredibly fundamental to almost all areas of physics. But how do we deal with systems that have more than one harmonic oscillators which all talk to each other? In this stream, we will discuss how to solve systems of coupled harmonic oscillators using the method of normal mode decomposition. We will then move on to deriving the wave equation by taking the limit of infinitely many coupled harmonic oscillators. Thinking about the underlying symmetries will give us our first hints as to why we might need a theory beyond Galilean relativity.
Harmonic oscillators are incredibly fundamental to almost all areas of physics. But how do we deal with systems that have more than one harmonic oscillators which all talk to each other? In this stream, we will discuss how to solve systems of coupled harmonic oscillators using the method of normal mode decomposition. We will then move on to deriving the wave equation by taking the limit of infinitely many coupled harmonic oscillators. Thinking about the underlying symmetries will give us our first hints as to why we might need a theory beyond Galilean relativity.
