This applet illustrates coupled oscillations of a linear chain of identical noninteracting bodies connected to each other and to fixed endpoints by identical ideal springs. All bodies start from rest, and their initial positions can be set either by sliding them along the track or by clicking on one of the light blue bars in the frequency spectrum, which puts the system into its corresponding normal mode. The normalized frequency spectrum (square of amplitude versus frequency) of the resulting motion is shown by the dark blue bars.

The unit of frequency is the natural frequency of one of the masses connected to a single spring with one end fixed. (Hence, the frequency of oscillation when there is a single body in the chain is sqrt(2).)

Instructions for use