Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Periodic function
open-in-new
<p>A periodic function, also called a periodic waveform (or simply periodic wave), is a <a href="/facts/Function_(mathematics)/CdReEKCh">function</a> that repeats its values at regular intervals or <a href="/facts/Period_(physics)/QUSbPaW8">periods</a>. The repeatable part of the function or <a href="/facts/Waveform/yAskMREw">waveform</a> is called a <i>cycle</i>. For example, the <a href="/facts/Trigonometric_functions/czej7ur0">trigonometric functions</a>, which repeat at intervals of 2 π {\displaystyle 2\pi } <a href="/facts/Radian/Srd38Sxa">radians</a>, are periodic functions. Periodic functions are used throughout science to describe <a href="/facts/Oscillation/6vSrm84a">oscillations</a>, <a href="/facts/Wave/fU0HH6St">waves</a>, and other phenomena that exhibit <a href="/facts/Frequency/QUSbPaW8">periodicity</a>. Any function that is not periodic is called <i>aperiodic</i>. </p>