What is periodic motion?

Motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals, such as the repeated vibration of a plucked guitar string.

What is the period of an oscillation?

The period, $T$, is the time required for one complete cycle or oscillation. It is usually measured in seconds.

Frequency, $f$, is the number of complete oscillations per unit time. For cycles per second, its unit is hertz (Hz).

How are period and frequency related?

They are reciprocals: $f = 1/T$ and $T = 1/f$. A shorter period corresponds to a higher frequency.

What is the frequency of an oscillation with a period of $0.400\,\mu\text{s}$?

Convert the period to $0.400\times10^{-6}\,\text{s}$, then calculate $f=1/T$. The frequency is $2.50\times10^6\,\text{Hz}$, a frequency in the ultrasound range.

General physicsLesson 2 of 5 in the course Oscillatory Motion and Waves

Period and Frequency in Periodic Motion

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Periodic motion appears in many familiar situations, from a plucked guitar string to an object bouncing on a spring. This lesson explains how to describe the timing of repeated motion using period and frequency, and how to calculate one when the other is known.

Periodic motion is motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals. When a guitar string is plucked, for example, it vibrates repeatedly. If each complete vibration takes the same amount of time, the motion is periodic.

All flashcards

What is periodic motion?: Motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals, such as the repeated vibration of a plucked guitar string.
What is the period of an oscillation?: The period, $T$ , is the time required for one complete cycle or oscillation. It is usually measured in seconds.
What is frequency?: Frequency, $f$ , is the number of complete oscillations per unit time. For cycles per second, its unit is hertz (Hz).
How are period and frequency related?: They are reciprocals: $f = 1/T$ and $T = 1/f$ . A shorter period corresponds to a higher frequency.
What is the frequency of an oscillation with a period of $0.400\,\mu\text{s}$ ?: Convert the period to $0.400\times10^{-6}\,\text{s}$ , then calculate $f=1/T$ . The frequency is $2.50\times10^6\,\text{Hz}$ , a frequency in the ultrasound range.

Quiz questions

Which description defines periodic motion?Answer: Motion that repeats at regular time intervals.
What does the period $T$ of an oscillation measure?Answer: The time required to complete one full oscillation.
Which statement correctly describes one hertz?Answer: One cycle per second, equivalent to $1\,\text{s}^{-1}$ .
An oscillator has a period of $0.20\,\text{s}$ . What is its frequency?Answer: $5.0\,\text{Hz}$
A tone has a frequency of $500\,\text{Hz}$ . What is the time for one cycle?Answer: $2.0\times10^{-3}\,\text{s}$

Based on College Physics 2e by Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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