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I can't find the difference between these two words. I want to describe the property of something that is repeating at a fixed period (don't ask me to use periodicity, that would be for another question).
For instance, in the sentence:
I can see that there is ... in candy sales. People are buying on average more at the beginning of the month than at the end of the it.
Which of the two terms "cyclicity" and "cyclicality" would best fit, and for what reason?
There is no difference between the two words.
In Merriam-Webster Unabridged (subscription required), the definition of cyclicality refers to the definition of cyclicity, meaning that they are effectively the same word, sharing the same definition:
cyclicity, n. : the quality or state of being cyclic
The fact that the definition of cyclicality refers to cyclicity tends to imply that cyclicity is the preferred form:
Candy sales demonstrate a monthly cyclicity.
Using a sentence construction which forces you to use words that are unfamiliar is a bad decision, and using more familiar words is a better choice.
I can see that candy sales are cyclical. People are buying on average more at the beginning of the month than at the end of the it.
To me cyclicity describes whether or not something has cycles, whereas cyclicality describes whether it is composed of cycles.
So in the first case, I expect the structure to merely contain a cycle (so it's not completely free of cycles), whereas in the second, I expect cycles to be a notable or even defining characteristic of the structure.
In your example, the proper word would be cyclicity, since the presence of cycles is an attribute that happened to exist, rather than being a fundamental part of what you're describing.
For the given context:
I can see that there is cyclicality in candy sales. People are buying on average more at the beginning of the month than at the end of the it.
cyclicality The condition of being cyclic.
Cyclicality
When talking about stocks cyclicality basically means that stocks follow the general macroeconomic conditions. A cyclical stock is one that typically performs well when the economy is good and badly when than when the economy is weak. This sounds pretty much like common sense but it's important to remember that not all companies fall into this group
