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capacitance. By making these very small—using only a few small
turns of wire and small widely-spaced plates—very high frequencies
can be generated, running if necessary into hundreds of millions per
second, or even more with combined structures (Sees. 8.17, 16.10).
14.4 Damping
The non-stop oscillator just described is as imaginary as perpetual
motion. It is impossible to construct an oscillatory circuit entirely
without resistance of any kind. Even if it were possible it would be
merely a curiosity, without much practical value as a generator,
because it would be unable to yield more than the limited amount of
energy with which it was