Topmusicanswers
A periodic sound is one which repeats itself at regular intervals. For example, the note 'A' played by the oboe to tune the orchestra has a fundamental frequency of 440 Hz, giving harmonics at 440, 880, 1320, 1760, 2200, 2640, etc.
- What is a periodic sound?
- What sounds aperiodic and periodic?
- Are speech sounds periodic?
- What is the difference between periodic and aperiodic sound?
What is a periodic sound?
A periodic sound is one which repeats itself at regular intervals. A sine wave is a simple periodic sound. Musical instruments or the voice produce complex periodic sounds. They have a spectrum consisting of a series of harmonics.
What sounds aperiodic and periodic?
The aperiodic sound /h/ when examined closely can be readily seen to be a non-repeating or random pattern. No part of the waveform pattern of this sound is repeated at regular intervals, therefore the sound is said to be aperiodic. The three vowel sounds, on the other hand are periodic.
Are speech sounds periodic?
No speech sounds are absolutely periodic, that is, perfectly from one cycle to the next, but some are so nearly periodic (e.g. vowel sounds) . The wave forms of spoken vowels are very complex.
What is the difference between periodic and aperiodic sound?
Given a waveform display, you can distinguish between sounds that repeat in time (periodic sounds) and sounds that do not repeat (aperiodic sounds).
