1. Structural dynamics is the study of how structures respond to dynamic loads that vary over time due to factors like wind, earthquakes, or machine vibrations. It builds upon static structural analysis by accounting for inertia and damping effects.
2. Dynamic systems can be modeled as having mass, stiffness, and damping properties. The dynamic response of simple systems with a single degree of freedom can be described by a second order differential equation relating displacement, velocity, acceleration, stiffness, damping, and applied forces.
3. For undamped free vibration, the natural frequency and natural period of vibration of a structure can be determined from the mass and stiffness. Most structures exhibit underdamped behavior, where the response decays over time