yeah my textbook gives it a definition, the defintion mentioned in the question the definition of the oscillatory motion , but i know that oscillatory motion is a special case of periodic motion . in addition that in S.H.M the acceleration is directly proportional to the displacement. but the S.H.M has also a mean position like the oscillatory. that's why i can't decide which is answer is correct.berkeman said:Welcome to PF.
Does your textbook give definitions of each? If not, have you looked online (like at Wikipedia) to see what the common definitions are?
It is unclear where one choice ends and the next begins.abdsaber000 said:
I would think any regular oscillation has to have a mean position.abdsaber000 said:
Periodic motion refers to a motion that repeats itself after a fixed amount of time, while oscillatory motion refers to a motion that repeats itself around a central point or equilibrium position.
Yes, periodic motion can also be considered oscillatory motion if it repeats itself around a central point or equilibrium position.
An example of periodic motion is the motion of a pendulum, where the pendulum swings back and forth in a fixed amount of time.
An example of oscillatory motion is the motion of a mass on a spring, where the mass moves up and down around the equilibrium position.
Periodic and oscillatory motion are related in that they both involve repetitive motion, but periodic motion repeats itself after a fixed amount of time while oscillatory motion repeats itself around a central point or equilibrium position.