Construct · 3 fields · 3 citations

transient: one construct, many systems

One name. One construct. Different systems. One map.

● invariant · one construct, three systems Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
same transient-vs-steady-state responsethe attack as a mechanical transient of the soundtransient3 SYSTEMSTransient responseDEN HARTOG · TRANSIENTAcoustic transientEVEREST · ATTACKCircuit transientNILSSON · NATURAL RESPONSE

Spokes are the systems the one construct recurs in; dashed arcs are shared lineage. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

1934Transient response2009Acoustic transient2015Circuit transient
2026

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Mechanical vibration

The short-lived response before steady state

In mechanical vibration, the transient is the part of a system's motion that appears right after a disturbance and dies away, leaving the sustained steady-state response; it is governed by the system's own natural frequencies and damping rather than by any ongoing forcing. Den Hartog's Mechanical vibrations separates the free, decaying transient from the forced steady-state vibration when a structure is struck or started. The referent is the decaying free component of a dynamic response, the same construct that reappears in circuits as a switching transient and in sound as the attack of a note.[1]

Unit
The decaying free-response component of motion before steady state
Recovery means
The transient decays at a rate set by the system's damping, after which only the steady-state response remains
Measured by
Characterised by its decay rate (damping) and natural frequency, e.g. from the logarithmic decrement of the ring-down

Acoustics

The sharp attack before a tone settles

In acoustics and audio, a transient is the brief, rapidly changing onset of a sound (the attack of a struck drum, plucked string, or consonant) before it settles into a steadier tone or decays away. Everest and Pohlmann's Master handbook of acoustics describes transients as short-duration, broadband events that demand fast system response to reproduce faithfully. It is the same seed-then-settle construct as a mechanical ring-down, realised in air pressure and perceived as attack, and measured by rise time and short-term spectral change rather than by a structural decrement.[2]

Unit
The short, fast-changing onset portion of a sound before it settles
Recovery means
The transient gives way to the steady or decaying portion of the sound as the onset energy dissipates
Measured by
Characterised by rise (attack) time and the rapid short-term change in amplitude and spectrum at onset

Electrical circuits

the short-lived response after a sudden change such as switching, as currents and voltages settle to a new steady state.

In electrical circuits, the transient is the short-lived response (the natural response) that follows a sudden change such as a switch opening or closing, as currents and voltages move from their old steady state to the new one before settling. Nilsson and Riedel's Electric circuits analyses the natural and step responses of RL, RC, and RLC circuits, where the transient decays with the circuit's time constant. It is the identical transient-before-steady-state construct as a vibrating structure's ring-down or a sound's attack, here carried by charge and measured by a time constant rather than mechanical damping.[3]

Unit
The decaying natural-response component of current or voltage after a change
Recovery means
The transient decays over roughly a few time constants, after which the circuit holds its new steady state
Measured by
Characterised by the circuit time constant (or RLC damping) governing how fast the response decays

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Nearby constructs

state4 fields · 6 citationsjingle · one word, four constructsattack4 fields · 10 citationsjingle · one word, four constructsaura2 fields · 2 citationsjingle · one word, two constructs

References

  1. Den Hartog, J. P. (1985). Mechanical vibrations. Dover. (Original work published 1934) ISBN 9780486647852
  2. Everest, F. A., & Pohlmann, K. C. (2009). Master handbook of acoustics (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780071603324
  3. Nilsson, J. W., & Riedel, S. A. (2015). Electric circuits (10th ed.). Pearson. ISBN 9780133760033

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