Which term best describes the phenomenon where a system vibrates with maximum amplitude at certain frequencies?

Which term best describes the phenomenon where a system vibrates with maximum amplitude at certain frequencies?

• A. Interference
• B. Refraction
• C. Resonance
• D. Reflection

Answer: (C)

When a system vibrates with maximum amplitude at certain frequencies, that is resonance. Each object has natural frequencies determined by its mass, stiffness, and shape. Driving the system at one of these natural frequencies causes energy to be transferred into the motion most efficiently, so the amplitude grows larger, especially in low-damping cases. That’s why a swing can go higher when you push in rhythm with its natural motion, or a glass can shatter when someone sings at its resonant pitch. Interference, by contrast, is about the superposition of waves creating patterned regions of high and low amplitude due to constructive or destructive overlap. Refraction is the bending of a wave's path when it enters a different medium, and reflection is the bouncing of a wave off a boundary. These describe different wave behaviors, not the specific condition of maximum response at particular frequencies—that’s resonance.

When a system vibrates with maximum amplitude at certain frequencies, that is resonance. Each object has natural frequencies determined by its mass, stiffness, and shape. Driving the system at one of these natural frequencies causes energy to be transferred into the motion most efficiently, so the amplitude grows larger, especially in low-damping cases. That’s why a swing can go higher when you push in rhythm with its natural motion, or a glass can shatter when someone sings at its resonant pitch.

Interference, by contrast, is about the superposition of waves creating patterned regions of high and low amplitude due to constructive or destructive overlap. Refraction is the bending of a wave's path when it enters a different medium, and reflection is the bouncing of a wave off a boundary. These describe different wave behaviors, not the specific condition of maximum response at particular frequencies—that’s resonance.