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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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

In mathematics, a function that repeats its values in regular intervals is known as a periodic function.

From Textbooks • Dec. 1, 2021

The pattern of the sun’s motion throughout the course of a year is a periodic function.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

In fact, no periodic function can be one-to-one because each output in its range corresponds to at least one input in every period, and there are an infinite number of periods.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

A “constant” may, however, be a periodic function of n.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

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