Comparison between

mechanical and
electromagnetic oscillations
 Lesson objectives:
• Sketch an LC oscillator and explain which quantities
oscillate and what constitutes one period of the
oscillation;
• Sketch graphs of the electrical charge across the
capacitor and the current through the inductor as
functions of time, and indicate the period T on each
graph;
• Apply the relationships between the angular frequency
ω (and the related frequency f and period T ) and the
values of the inductance and capacitance;
• Compare mechanical and electromagnetic oscillations
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 LC Circuits
A charged capacitor bears a certain resemblance to a stretched
spring (remember the rubber diaphragm), storing energy even when
the charge is not moving.
An inductor similarly resembles a moving mass (remember the
flywheel), storing energy only when charge is in motion.

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 LC Circuits
We know that a mass and spring can make an oscillator. What
about a capacitor and inductor. Consider the circuit shown in the
diagram. What happens when the switch is closed?
The capacitor discharges by creating a current in the inductor. But
where does the energy go that had been stored in the inductor? There
are no dissipative elements in the system. Therefore, when the charge
of the capacitor goes to zero, all of its previous energy must reside in
the inductor. The current in the inductor falls while charging the
capacitor in the opposite direction. And so on …

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The Oscillation Cycle

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LC circuits

dI 1
L dt + Q = 0
C

d2Q 1
dt2 + Q = 0
LC

Q =  Sin(  t + )

1
2
= L C

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 Example:
An AM Radio Oscillator
You have a 10mH inductor. What capacitor should you
use with it to make an oscillator with a frequency of 920 kHz?
(This frequency is near the center of the AM radio band.
  2 f  2 (9.20 105 s -1 )  5.78 106 s -1

1 1 11
C 2  6 -1 2 2
 3.0  10 F  30 pF
 L (5.78 10 s ) (1.0 10 H)

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 Plumber’s LC Analogy
Valve

V1 V2 P1 P2

V3
Rubber
Diaphragm
The “plumber’s analogy” of an LC circuit is P3
Flywheel
a rubber diaphragm that has been stretched
by pressure on the top (P1) side. When the
Valve = Switch
valve starts the flow, the diaphragm forces Rubber Diaphragm = Capacitor
water past the flywheel, which begins to Flywheel = Inductor
Pressure = Potential
spin. After the diaphragm has become flat, Water Flow = Current
the momentum of the flywheel forces the
diaphragm to be stretched in the other 8

direction, and the cycle repeats.