Tesla's Earthquake Machine

What became known as ``Tesla's Earthquake Machine'' was actually just a simple harmonic oscillator which could be tuned to a resonant frequency for a given object, particularly a large object such as a bridge or a building. The small vibrations from the machine create a standing wave which can build up over time and eventually produce some intense shaking. Our experiment was designed to investigate the science behind this phenomenon, the science of damped and driven harmonic oscillators. The equations which model this type of physical behavior have an extremely large range of applications in science and engineering from electrical systems (RLC Circuits) to civil and structural engineering. Through an understanding of resonance and damping we are helping to create safer buildings, bridges, and cars.