Periodic Motion

The universe is filled with patterns that repeat themselves over and over. The beauty of designs is that we can analyse and understand them, which frequently involves mathematics. The phrase periodic motion, for example, refers to any movement of an item that is repeated over some time. The time it takes to return to where the motion began, whatever it is, is referred to as the motion’s time period. The motion could also be given a frequency in hertz, the number of entire cycles per second. So let’s discuss more about the periodic motion in detail for better understanding. 

What is Periodic Motion? 

The periodic motion is when a body repeats its motion along a particular path, around a specific location, after a fixed time interval. The period of motion is the fixed interval of time after which the motion is restarted. The prerequisite for a body or object’s periodic motion is that it has a defined period, where its period T is the shortest interval of time. After that, the periodic motion of a body repeats itself.

Examples of Periodic Motion

• The movement of a clock’s hands. An hour’s hand moves for 12 hours, a minute’s hand moves for 1 hour, and a clock’s second-hand moves for 1 minute.

• A basic pendulum’s to and fro motion (oscillatory) is periodic once it is pushed from its resting position to one side and then released.

Non-Periodic Motion

The type of motion whereby an object repeats its motion but not at a set interval and for a set amount of time. Consider a taxi service that provides inter-city services to the general public, although plenty of taxis are available to drop off passengers. Each taxi does not have a set time interval, and it is impossible to predict which taxi will arrive at a stop to pick up customers. The mobility of these taxis is non-periodic in this situation because the arrangement isn’t set.

Examples of Non-Periodic Motion

• The batsman’s sprint here between wickets.

• The tree’s branches shift back and forth.

Period and Frequency

Periodic motion is the standard physics nomenclature for motion that repeats itself repeatedly. The period’s time necessary for one repetition is typically written as the letter T. (The symbol P is not used because it could be mistaken for momentum.) A cycle is defined as one complete repetition of a motion. The number of cycles per unit time is known as frequency. The Latin sign for the Greek letter υ represents frequency (nu). It’s worth noting that period or frequency were inverses of each other.

f = 1/T

For instance, a newborn baby’s heart beats 120 times per minute, and its period (the time between beats) is half a second. You can save yourself some embarrassment on physics exams if you train your intuition to expect significant frequencies to be paired by short durations.

Give Two Examples of Periodic Motion

Periodic motion is defined as the motion of an item that repeats at regular time intervals. The motion of a clock’s hands is an example of periodic motion—a pendulum’s motion, Swinging motion; The Earth’s rotation around the Sun. To make a prolonged musical sound, some source object must move regularly. Time can be measured in two ways: by duration or periodic motion.

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

Simple Harmonic Motion is a popular and well-studied periodic motion (SHM). In an ideal system (one through which the moving object experiences no resistance), the object that moves in the system generates restoring force, allowing the system to oscillate between extreme points on one end with equilibrium positions on the other for an unlimited period. The motion does not encounter a dampening effect in ideal circumstances.

Simple harmonic motion has served as the foundation or mathematical model for defining and studying a variety of other periodic motions for decades. The motion of a sinusoidal wave determines a simple harmonic motion’s period and has a particular resonance frequency. This resonant frequency is a unique and essential notion in the domains of engineering but also instrumentation. The mass-spring oscillator, the oscillating pendulum, uniform circular motion, oscillatory motion, and others are instances of simple harmonic motion.

Conclusion

Periodic motion is defined as a motion that repeats itself. The term “simple harmonic motion” refers to a specific type of periodic motion. Simple harmonic motion is a type of periodic motion that is very useful (SHM). A mass linked to spring is our SHM prototype. The amplitude is the most significant displacement of the mass from its equilibrium position. On one side, it travels much further than it does on the other. The period of the motion is the time it takes to perform one accomplished repetition or cycle. The period is commonly measured in seconds.