AbstractIt is shown that any function acting from the real line {\mathbb{R}} into itself can be expressed as a pointwise limit of finite sums of periodic functions. At the same time, the real analytic function {x\rightarrow\exp(x^{2})} cannot be represented as a uniform limit of finite sums of periodic functions and, simultaneously, this function is a locally uniform limit of finite sums of periodic functions. The latter fact needs the techniques of Hamel bases.