Fundamental frequency

The fundamental frequency is the lowest positive frequency associated with a periodic signal’s repetition rate. It sets the spacing between the signal’s integer-multiple harmonics.

Harmonic: A sinusoidal component whose frequency is an integer multiple of a common fundamental frequency. Periodic signals often combine components spaced at integer multiples of this frequency.
Period (physics): The time interval after which a repeating physical process returns to the same state. The reciprocal of a signal’s period gives its fundamental frequency.
Pitch (music): The perceptual attribute of sound that orders tones from low to high. For many harmonic sounds, perceived pitch tracks the fundamental frequency.
Overtone: A spectral component above a sound’s lowest partial, numbered by its position in the partial series. Overtone numbering does not always match harmonic numbering, unlike the fundamental’s integer-multiple series.
Fourier series: A representation of a periodic function as a sum of sinusoidal components at integer multiples of a base frequency. It expresses periodic waveforms through harmonics whose spacing reveals the repetition rate.
Periodic function: A function that repeats its values after a fixed, nonzero interval. A periodic signal has a repetition rate from which a fundamental frequency can be defined.
Musical instrument: A device designed to produce musical sounds through vibration or electronic signal generation. An instrument’s vibrating source often sets the fundamental frequency of its tone.
Partial (music): A single frequency component of a complex musical tone. A tone’s lowest partial may differ from its fundamental when the spectrum is missing or inharmonic.
Autocorrelation: A measure of how closely a signal matches a time-shifted copy of itself. Its repeating peaks can reveal the period and hence the fundamental frequency.
Frequency: The number of cycles of a repeating event per unit time. Fundamental frequency is a particular frequency: the one tied to repetition.

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