Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-methods-i-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016-resit/11/ii/solution

The weak-damping mechanical energy is proportional to the squared oscillation amplitude, so it decays as . Over one period , the fractional loss is . Hence
For the release-from-rest solution, comparison at successive corresponding turning points gives the more precise ratio . The quality factor is ; the requested energy-to-loss ratio itself has the extra factor .

New to topics? Read the docs here!