harmonic series

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. a series in which the reciprocals of the terms form an arithmetic progression.

2. the divergent infinite series, 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/5 + . . . .

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harmonic series British  

noun

1. maths a series whose terms are in harmonic progression, as in 1 + 1/ 2 + 1/ 3 + …

2. acoustics the series of tones with frequencies strictly related to one another and to the fundamental tone, as obtained by touching lightly the node points of a string while playing it. Its most important application is in the playing of brass instruments

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harmonic series Scientific  

1. A series whose terms are in harmonic progression, especially the series 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + …. and so on.

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Etymology

Origin of harmonic series

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

If the second person played instead the note that was just a little bit more than twice the frequency of the first note, the harmonic series of the two notes would not fit together at all, and the two notes would not sound as good together.

From Literature

The valves can be used in combination, too, making even more harmonic series available.

From Literature

At each slide "position," the instrument gets a new harmonic series.

From Literature

Figure 4.42: These harmonic series are for a brass instrument that has a 11C11 fundamental when no valves are being used — for example, a C trumpet.

From Literature

Remember, there is an entire harmonic series for every fundamental, and any note can be a fundamental.

From Literature