Applied Mechanics and Design

Define Harmonic Series

Question

Define harmonic series.

A harmonic series is a series of vibrations in which the frequencies are whole-number multiples of the fundamental frequency.

If the fundamental frequency is \(f\), then the harmonic frequencies are:

f,\;2f,\;3f,\;4f,\;\ldots

The fundamental frequency is the basic frequency of vibration.

The higher frequencies obtained by multiplying the fundamental frequency by whole numbers are called harmonics.

\text{1st harmonic}=f \] \[ \text{2nd harmonic}=2f \] \[ \text{3rd harmonic}=3f \] \[ \text{4th harmonic}=4f

Suppose the fundamental frequency is:

f=10\text{ Hz}

Then the harmonics will be:

10,\;20,\;30,\;40,\ldots\text{ Hz}

A harmonic series consists of frequencies that are whole-number multiples of the fundamental frequency.

\boxed{f,\;2f,\;3f,\;4f,\ldots}