Resonance, in physics, relatively large selective response of an object or a system that vibrates in step or

phase, with an externally applied oscillatory force. Resonance was first investigated in acoustical
systems such as musical instruments and the human voice. An example of acoustical resonance is the
vibration induced in a violin or piano string of a given pitch when a musical note of the same pitch is
sung or played nearby.

The concept of resonance has been extended by analogy to certain mechanical and electrical
phenomena. Mechanical resonance, such as that produced in bridges by wind or by marching soldiers, is
known to have built up to proportions large enough to be destructive, as in the case of the destruction
of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (q.v.) in 1940. Spacecraft, aircraft, and surface vehicles must be designed
so that the vibrations caused by their engines or by their movement through air are kept to a safe
minimum.

Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations.
circa 1950.

Britannica Quiz

Physics and Natural Law

Resonance in electrical systems is of a somewhat different nature. Its occurrence in frequency-sensitive

(alternating-current) circuits makes it possible for communication devices equipped with such circuits to
accept signals of certain frequencies while rejecting others. In a television receiver, for example,
resonance occurs when the frequency of one of the incoming signals reaching the circuit is near the
natural frequency of the circuit, which then responds by absorbing maximum energy from the signal as
the current within the circuit surges back and forth in step with the very weak current in the antenna.