There are many concrete and abstract concepts in the world, quite familiar and ambiguous, used in many branches of science and everyday life. Among them is a capacious word. To understand what a period is, one can turn to explanatory dictionaries. And they give such interpretations of this concept.
What is a "period" in dictionaries?
So, we read in Dahl that it is that time period that determines the time from one event to another. That is: the duration, duration of the event or action.
For Ozhegov, for example, this is also the period of time (in the past or the present) during which an event begins, develops, ends. That is - it suggests the dynamics of action.
Period of time
Most often, this concept is applied in this sense. That is, it refers to some specific time period during which events occur or have occurred. Regarding time, this is the interval that is opposed to other segments. This is the period during which something happened (according to the definition of Ushakov). What is a period? The segment during which some repetitive process begins and ends (scientific definition).
In history and geology
This concept is most often used in geological and historical sciences. So, there are universally recognized and clearly defined periods in the history of the Earth. For example, Precambrian begins from the formation of the planet to the emergence of the Cambrian (4.6 billion - 541 million years ago). You and I live in the Quaternary, which began more than 2.5 million years ago and continues today. This is the shortest time span, but it is characterized by such important events as the emergence and development of mankind, for example.
Historical periods are also characteristic of the emergence and development of countries and peoples. What is meant by periodization of history? This is primarily a conditional division of the historical process into segments that have certain chronological frameworks. So, in the classical periodization different periods are distinguished: prehistoric and antique, medieval and so on. We live in the newest time.
In other sciences
- What is a period in mathematics? Regarding a function, it is a quantity that does not change its value when added. And the period in fractional numbers is a repeated group of certain numbers in the system of recording infinite fractions.
- In physics, the oscillation period is the minimum time period for which a complete oscillation cycle is performed (a device producing a repeated signal deviates from its original position and then returns to it).
- In accounting, the reporting period is the period of time associated with the activities of the company - the purchase and sale of products, their production, the provision of services - used in the preparation of reports.
- In chemistry, the period of the Mendeleev system is a string that combines elements with the same number of electronic shells.
- In sports, the period in the game is one of the three parts of a match in ice hockey or beach soccer.
- What is a period musically? This is the smallest completed compositional structure expressing a complete musical thought.