In physics and mathematics, the phase of a periodic

function
F
F of some real variable
t
t (such as time) is an angle representing the number
of periods spanned by that variable. It is denoted

(
t
)
\phi (t) and expressed in such a scale that it varies by
one full turn as the variable
t
t goes through each period (and
F
(
t
)
F(t) goes through each complete cycle). It may be
measured in any angular unit such as degrees or
radians, thus increasing by 360° or
2
π
2\pi as the variable
t
t completes a full period.[1]

This convention is especially appropriate for a

sinusoidal function