ABSTRACT
The displaced configuration of many mechanical systems and structures subject to dynamic loads can be completely described by specifying the time-varying displacement along only one coordinate direction. Such systems are designated as single-degree-offreedom systems. Often the modeling of a system as a single-degree-of-freedom system is an idealization. How truly the response of the idealized model fits the true behavior depends on several factors, including the characteristics of the system, the initial conditions, the exciting force, and the response quantity of interest. Nevertheless, for a large number of systems, representation as a single-degree-of-freedom model is quite satisfactory from an engineering point of view.
