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Physics vocabulary · Waves, Oscillations and Sound

Period

Meaning in physics, with examples

/ˈpɪriəd/nounCore term

In physics, period means: The time taken for one complete oscillation, or for one full wave to pass a point. It is measured in seconds and is the inverse of frequency (T = 1/f).

In Turkish: periyot, dönem

How it is used

Symbol T. Used for pendulums, springs, orbits and waves. In experiments, students time ten oscillations and divide by ten to reduce timing errors. For a simple pendulum swinging through small angles, T = 2π√(L/g).

Example sentences

  1. Time ten swings and divide by ten to find the period of the pendulum.

  2. The Moon's orbital period is about 27 days.

Common collocations

  • time period
  • orbital period
  • period of oscillation
  • period of a pendulum
  • frequencyThe number of complete waves or oscillations that pass a point, or happen, each second. It is measured in hertz (Hz), where 1 Hz means one cycle per second.
  • simple harmonic motionA repeating back-and-forth motion in which the acceleration is proportional to the displacement from the centre and always points back towards it. A mass on a spring moves this way.
  • amplitudeThe maximum distance that a point on a wave or an oscillating object moves away from its rest position. A larger amplitude means the wave carries more energy.
  • waveA disturbance that travels through a medium or through space and carries energy from one place to another without carrying matter with it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Waves, Oscillations and Sound

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