Sinusoidal vibration is the fundamental atom of all sound
Evidence
Sine waves have three parameters: their amplitude, their rate of rotation or frequency and their starting position or phase. The frequency used to be expressed in units of cycles per second, reflecting the origin of the waveform, but it is now measured in the equivalent units of hertz (Hz). This type of excitation generates a traveling sine wave disturbance down the model, where the compressions and rarefactions are periodic. Because the sine wave propagates at a given velocity, a length can be assigned to the distance between the repeats of the compressions or rarefactions, as shown in Figure 1.7. Furthermore, because the velocity is constant, the distance between these repeats will be inversely proportional to the rate 0 10 Hz 100 Hz 1 kHz 10 kHz Frequency in Hz FIGURE 1. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 136 (
#expands, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: All complex sounds, including noise, are superpositions of pure sinusoids; Sine waves are fully described by amplitude, frequency, and phase — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 136; Amplitude does not affect the period of a sinusoidally vibrating object (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Sine waves are fully described by amplitude, frequency, and phase
#expands(0.85) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 136 - A hypothetical compound tuning fork illustrates how complex vibrations decompose into sine waves
#exemplifies(0.85) - Amplitude does not affect the period of a sinusoidally vibrating object
#expands(0.80) - Harmonic tones are integer multiples of a fundamental frequency
#expands(0.80) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1180 - Adjacent harmonics of a fundamental produce every familiar musical interval
#expands(0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 803