Periodic function: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Michael Underwood
No edit summary
imported>Aleksander Stos
m (categories)
Line 12: Line 12:


  f(x)=\left\{\begin{array}{cl} |x| & -1<x<1 \\ f(x+2) & \mbox{otherwise}\end{array}\right.
  f(x)=\left\{\begin{array}{cl} |x| & -1<x<1 \\ f(x+2) & \mbox{otherwise}\end{array}\right.
[[Category: Mathematics Workgroup]]
[[Category: CZ Live]]

Revision as of 12:38, 10 July 2007

Example of a periodic function, with period . If you choose any point on the function and then move to the left or right by , you will find the same value as at the original point.

In mathematics a periodic function is a function that repeats itself after a while, and indefinitely. The mathematical definition of this is that is periodic with period if

Common examples of periodic functions are and , which both have period .

A sawtooth wave is a periodic function that can be described by

f(x)=\left\{\begin{array}{cl} |x| & -1<x<1 \\ f(x+2) & \mbox{otherwise}\end{array}\right.