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What are harmonics and overtones? |
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Answer» A stationary wave is set up in a bounded medium in which the boundary could be a rigid support (i.e., a fixed end, as for instance a string stretched between two rigid supports) or a free end (as for instance an air column in a cylindrical tube with one or both ends open). The boundary conditions limit the possible stationary waves and only a discrete set of frequencies is allowed. The lowest allowed frequency, n , is called the fundamental frequency of vibration. Integral multiples of the fundamental frequency are called the harmonics, the fundamental frequency being the fundamental or 2n , the third harmonic is 3n , and so on. The higher allowed frequencies are called the overtones. Above the fundamental, the first allowed frequency is called the first overtone, the next higher frequency is the second overtone, and ‘so on. The relation between overtones and allowed harmonics depends on the system under consideration. |
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