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What are the characteristics of sound waves?

What are the characteristics of sound waves?

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Characteristics of sound waves

1. Fundamental tones and harmonics – fundamental frequency is the vibration in a wire which has the lowest possible frequency. The fundamental frequency and the tones with the frequencies that are whole multiples of the fundamental are called harmonics. The fundamental frequency is also the first harmonic. The number of segments vibrating in a string depends on the point at which the string is plucked.


2. Quality of sound or timbre – quality of sound can be improved by adding the second harmonic to the fundamental frequency hence the quality depends on the number of harmonics produced simultaneously and their relative intensities.


3. Intensity and loudness – intensity of sound refers to the rate of flow of energy through an area. The loudness of a sound generally varies with the intensity of sound. The frequency of sound waves determines their intensity while the amplitude determines their loudness.

4. Frequency and pitch – pitch refers to the sharpness of a sound and is determined by its frequency.

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Mutiso answered the question on October 12, 2018 at 11:42

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