Why does more damping slow a damped oscillation down, and how does the right triangle $\omega_1^2 + p^2 = \omega_0^2$ give its pseudo-period?
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The roots and the solution form
Define , rewrite the roots as , and write the real solutions both as and as .
The pseudo-period
Define pseudo-period and pseudo-frequency for a solution that is not truly periodic, and show from that the next downward axis crossing is at .
The right triangle with legs , and hypotenuse
Draw the triangle for and record the effect of increasing the damping on and on the pseudo-period, for a fixed spring and mass.
What , , and each depend on
Write and in terms of , , , record that both come from the ODE alone, and record that and are set by the initial conditions.