Two musical instruments produce sounds having the same fundamental frequency. At a listener, one sound has much greater intensity and the two sounds have different harmonic contents. Which statement correctly compares their pitch, loudness and quality?
Options

Question

Two musical instruments produce sounds having the same fundamental frequency. At a listener, one sound has much greater intensity and the two sounds have different harmonic contents. Which statement correctly compares their pitch, loudness and quality?

Options

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

Pitch is primarily determined by the fundamental frequency. Since the two instruments have the same fundamental frequency, their pitches are the same. Loudness depends mainly on sound intensity together with the response of the ear, so different intensities can produce different loudness. Quality or timbre depends strongly on the waveform and relative harmonic content. Therefore the sounds have the same pitch but different loudness and different quality. Correct option: B.