periodic function

American

[peer-ee-od-ik, peer-] / ˈpɪər iˈɒd ɪk, ˌpɪər- /

noun

Mathematics.

a function of a real or complex variable that is periodic.

periodic function British

/ ˌpɪərɪˈɒdɪk /

noun

maths a function, such as sin x, whose value is repeated at constant intervals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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This familiar cycle repeats year after year, and if we were to extend the graph over multiple years, it would resemble a periodic function.

From Textbooks • Dec. 1, 2021

As we discussed in the chapter opening, a function that repeats its values in regular intervals is known as a periodic function.

From Textbooks • Dec. 1, 2021

So, if we know all the details of one full cycle of a true periodic function, then we know the state of the function’s outputs at all times, future and past.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

Creating a visual representation of a periodic function in the form of a graph can help us analyze the properties of the function.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

The velocity of elementary ions is found to be a periodic function of the atomic weight, similar elements lying on corresponding portions of a curve drawn to express the relation between these two properties.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 8 "Conduction, Electric" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023