Pitch can be heard even when no sound component exists at that frequency

Evidence

Hearing a pitch does not mean that a partial or even a tone (a sound with partials related to the perceived pitch frequency) is present at the perceived pitch frequency. Pitch is perceived even for sounds that are aperiodic, such as a chime, whose partials are not evenly spaced; indeed, the perceived pitch does not coincide with any partial present. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2018

Categorization

• XREF: The missing fundamental / virtual pitch phenomenon connects to how the brain synthesizes pitch from pattern, not raw frequency. — connects to: The ear perceives a virtual pitch not physically present in a sound’s components — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 859