If, for some value p, f(x + p) = f(x) for all x, the real function f is periodic and has period p. For example, cos x is periodic with period 2π radians, since cos(x + 2π) = cos x for all x; or, using degrees, cos x° is periodic with period 360. Some authors restrict the use of the term ‘period’ to the smallest positive value of p with this property.
In mechanics, any phenomenon that repeats regularly may be called periodic, and the time taken before the phenomenon repeats itself is then called the period. Suppose that x = Asin(ωt + α), where A > 0, ω and α are constants. This may, for example, give the displacement x of a particle, moving in a line, at time t. The particle is thus oscillating about the origin. The period is the time taken for one complete oscillation and is equal to 2π/ω.