What is the difference between pitch and frequency

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A periodic motion has a frequency. For simplicity, we take frequency as the occurrences per second. Periodic motions can either be uniform or non-uniform. A uniform motion can have uniform angular velocity. Functions such as amplitude modulation can have double periods.

They are periodic functions encapsulated in other periodic functions. The inverse of the frequency of the periodic motion gives the time for a period. Simple harmonic motions and damped harmonic motions are also periodic motions.

Thereby the frequency of a periodic motion can also be obtained using the time difference between two similar occurrences. The frequency of a simple pendulum only depends on the length of the pendulum and the gravitational acceleration for small oscillations.

Frequency is also discussed in statistics. A harmonic is a vibration whose frequency is an integer multiple of the fundamental's, which in this case would be Hz, Hz, Hz, and so on. Just how strong is this inclination? Expose the fork to one of its characteristic frequencies being sung or being played by an instrument or a synthesizer. As the air-pressure levels around the fork change at one of these frequencies, the fork begins to move in tandem.

Perceptually speaking, how does the human auditory system interpret these vibrations? Our musical understanding is based on the perceptual phenomenon of pitch class. A pitch class is the entire superset of all instances of a certain note, regardless of what octave they are in.

And all members of any given class retain a certain identity regardless of register. Randomly transpose different notes by an octave or two or three or four in either direction. The melody remains familiar and intact, even though the register jumps around.

We hear a change of an octave when a given frequency is doubled or halved. This means that the frequency range spanned by an octave depends on the specific frequencies in question.

The span from Hz to Hz is smaller than the span from Hz to 1, Hz, but to our ears, the pitch distance sounds equivalent: an octave has been traversed. Thus, we perceive pitch relationships based on fixed ratios, rather than fixed spans of cycles per second. For two frequencies to sound an octave apart, they must have a ratio of Other intervals have different ratios. A ratio of produces a perfect fifth for example, Hz and Hz, or Hz and Hz.

A ratio of produces a perfect fourth. Like other objects, musical instruments tend to vibrate at multiple harmonic frequencies simultaneously, rather than at just one harmonic frequency. What does that mean perceptually?