Period
Definition
The period refers to the time it takes for one complete cycle of a repeating event or motion.
Analogy
Imagine you are on a swing. The period is like the time it takes for you to swing back and forth once, from your highest point to your lowest point and back again.
Related terms
Frequency: The frequency is the number of cycles or oscillations that occur in a given unit of time.
Amplitude: The amplitude is the maximum displacement or distance from equilibrium in a wave or oscillation.
Wavelength: The wavelength is the distance between two corresponding points on a wave, such as crest to crest or trough to trough.
"Period" appears in:
Subjects (6)
Study guides (3)
Additional resources (2)
Practice Questions (10)
- For a spring that exerts a linear restoring force, the period of a mass-spring oscillator _______ with mass (m).
- A mass-spring oscillator travels a total horizontal distance of 1.8m in 5 seconds. If its amplitude is 0.3m, what is the approximate period of the oscillator?
- If the spring constant/stiffness (k) of a mass-spring oscillator is quadrupled, its period will...
- To find the period of a spring that exerts a linear restoring force, use the equation...
- Simple pendulum A has a length of 0.5m, is attached to a 50g mass, and has a period of T seconds. If simple pendulum B has a length of 0.75m and is attached to a 60g mass, what is its period in terms of T?
- True or False: "For a simple pendulum, the period increases with the length of the pendulum and decreases with the magnitude of the gravitational field."
- A block with a mass of 10 kg connected to a spring oscillates back and forth with an amplitude of 2 m. What is the approximate period of the block if it has a speed of 4 m/s when it passes through its equilibrium point?
- The period of a pendulum depends upon
- If we determine the mass of an object through its period when attached to a spring, what type of mass are we determining?
- What is the relationship between rotational velocity and period?
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