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These classifications types have been given below: based on the feedback mechanism, the shape of the output waveform, etc. Oscillators can be also be classified into various types depending on the parameter considered i.e. Further, harmonic oscillators produce low-distorted sine-wave outputs while the relaxation oscillators generate non-sinusoidal (saw-tooth, triangular or square) wave-forms. Whereas in a relaxation oscillator, the energy is exchanged between the active and the passive components and the frequency of oscillations is determined by the charging and discharging time-constants involved in the process. In a harmonic oscillator, the energy flow is always from the active components to the passive components and the frequency of oscillations is decided by the feedback path. There are many types of oscillators, but can broadly be classified into two main categories – Harmonic Oscillators (also known as Linear Oscillators) and Relaxation Oscillators. Nevertheless, it is to be noted that the energy supplied should be precisely controlled and must be equal to that of the energy lost in order to obtain the oscillations with constant amplitude. This indicates that in order to obtain the oscillations which are continuous and of constant amplitude, one needs to compensate for the energy loss. As a result, the amplitude of these oscillations decreases steadily to become zero, which makes them damped in nature.
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However, the oscillations which arise due to the inter-conversion between the two energy-forms cannot continue forever as they would be subjected to the effect of energy loss due to the resistance of the circuit. However, now the capacitor would have charged with the opposite polarity, due to which one gets an oscillating waveform as the output. This current flow through the circuit continues until the electromagnetic field collapses which result in the back-conversion of electromagnetic energy into electrical form, causing the cycle to repeat. However, by then, the stored electromagnetic field would have generated a back-emf which results in the flow of current through the circuit in the same direction as that of before.