We determined that pitch is a property of sound and that pitch and frequency are related (Section 5.2). The higher the frequency of a sound, the higher its pitch.
High frequency sounds can be referred to as ‘high-pitched’ whereas low frequency sounds are referred to as ‘low-pitched’.
Pitch also refers to the frequency of a sound wave. Look back to Figure 5.7(a). When there are more wave passing through a fixed point at any given second, the pitch of a sound is higher.
A commonly used unit to measure frequency is the Hertz, or Hz.
- Frequency is the number of oscillations or vibrations per second.
-1 Hertz =1 vibration per second
The human ear is able to detect sound waves of a wide frequency range. Any sound with a frequency below 20 Hz is referred to as infrasound and above 20 000 Hz is ultrasound.