Oscillators

An op amp circuit with two storage elements that cannot be combined into a single equivalent element is second-order. Such circuits find a wide range of applications in devices such as filters and oscillators.

The op amp is a fundamental building block in modern electronic instrumentation. It is used extensively in many devices, along with resistors and other passive elements. Its numerous practical applications include instrumentation amplifiers, digital-to-analog converters, analog computers, level shifters, filters, calibration circuits, inverters, summers, integrators, differentiators, subtractors, logarithmic amplifiers, comparators, gyrators, oscillators, rectifiers, regulators, voltage-to-current converters, current-to-voltage converters, and clippers.

In physical systems, damping is produced by processes that dissipate the energy stored in the oscillation. Examples include viscous drag in mechanical systems, resistance in electronic oscillators, and absorption and scattering of light in optical oscillators.