Noun
harmonic oscillator (plural harmonic oscillators)
(classical mechanics) A system which, when displaced from its equilibrium position, experiences a restoring force
F
{\displaystyle F}
proportional to the displacement
x
{\displaystyle x}
according to Hooke's law:
F
=
−
k
x
{\displaystyle F=-kx\,}
, where
k
{\displaystyle k}
is a positive constant.
The career of a young theoretical physicist consists of treating the harmonic oscillator in ever-increasing levels of abstraction. Sidney Coleman
Harmonic oscillator main Some trajectories of a harmonic oscillator (i.e. a ball attached to a spring ) in classical mechanics (A-B) and quantum mechanics (C-H). Source: Internet