Oscillatory motion, or periodic motion, is the most common type of motion. Heartbeat of animals, the seasons of the year, the swinging of the pendulum of a clock and the vibrations of atoms in solids are periodic in nature. Two types of motion that are closely associated with oscillatory motion, are circular (or nearly circular) motion and wave motion. The average temperature in your town changes periodically as the seasons change, and these changes are associated with the Earth's circular motion about the sun. Thus, the study of oscillations is essential to understand the laws of nature.
