described as an abstract mechanical network. The mechanical system is broken down into a number of ideal elements each of which can then be paired with an electrical analogue. The symbols used for these mechanical elements on network diagrams are shown in the following sections on each individual element. The mechanical analogies of lumped electrical elements are also lumped elements, that is, it is assumed that the mechanical component possessing the element is small enough that the time taken by mechanical waves to propagate from one end of the component to the other can be neglected. Analogies can also be developed for distributed elements such as transmission lines but the greatest benefits are with lumped-element circuits. Mechanical analogies are required for the three passive electrical elements, namely, resistance, inductance and capacitance. What these analogies are is determined by what mechanical property is chosen to represent "effort", the analogy of voltage, and the property chosen to represent "flow", the analogy of current. In the impedance analogy the effort variable is force and the flow variable is velocity. Resistance The mechanical analogy of electrical resistance is the loss of energy of a moving system through such processes as friction. A mechanical component analogous to a resistor is a shock absorber and the property analogous to resistance is damping. A resistor is governed by the constitutive equation of Ohm's law, The analogous equation in the mechanical domain is, where Electrical resistance represents the real part of electrical impedance. Likewise, mechanical resistance is the real part of mechanical impedance. Inductance The mechanical analogy of inductance in the impedance analogy is mass. A mechanical component analogous to an inductor is a large, rigid weight. An inductor is governed by the constitutive equation, The analogous equation in the mechanical domain is Newton's second law of motion, where The impedance of an inductor is purely imaginary and is given by, The analogous mechanical impedance is given by, where Capacitance The mechanical analogy of capacitance in the impedance analogy is compliance. It is more common in mechanics to discuss stiffness, the inverse of compliance. The analogy of stiffness in the electrical domain is the less commonly used elastance, the inverse of capacitance. A mechanical component analogous to a capacitor is a spring. A capacitor is governed by the constitutive equation, The analogous equation in the mechanical domain is a form of Hooke's law, where The impedance of a