The recurrent or periodic change of a quantity around a central value (often an equilibrium point) or between two or more different states is known as oscillation. An alternating current and a swinging pendulum are two common examples of oscillation. In physics, oscillations can be used to simulate complex interactions like those between atoms.

The beating of the human heart (for circulation), business cycles in economics, predator-prey population cycles in ecology, geothermal geysers in geology, the vibration of strings in guitars and other string instruments, the periodic firing of nerve cells in the brain, and the periodic swelling of Cepheid variable stars in astronomy are just a few examples of dynamic systems that oscillate outside of mechanical systems.

When it comes to processing control and control theory (as in sliding mode control), where the goal is the convergence to a stable state, oscillation, especially rapid oscillation, may be an undesired feature. It is referred to as chattering or flapping in these situations, such as valve chatter and route flapping.

NextGen’s Oscillating / Automatic Disc Rheometer (ODR) oscillation frequency is 1.6Hz, (100r/min).

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