The primary difference between seasonality and cycles is? the duration of the repeating patterns the magnitude of the variation the ability to attribute the pattern to a cause the direction of the movement there are only 4 seasons but 30 cycles Solution answer is the duration of the repeating patterns explaination: Cycles are wavelike variation of more than one year\'s duration (long term). There are often related to a variety of economic, political, and even agricultural conditions. Seasonality refers to short-term, fairly variations generally related to factors such as the calendar or time of day. For example, restaurants, supermarkets, and theaters experience weekly and even daily \"seasonal\" variations. In one word, cycles are up-and-down movements similar to seasonal variation but of long duration-say, two to six years between peaks. .