In a message dated 3/22/2000 6:04:04 PM,
jwbarlow@... writes:
>>In the UK the fundamental is the first harmonic, the second harmonic is
>>twice the fundamental and so on. We use the term overtone to describe
>>the higher orders. That is, the first overtone is the second harmonic,
>>the second overtone is the third harmonic, etc. Thus n in Fourier
>>equations, and mechanical resonance, is indeed the harmonic number.
>
>This is the way I've always heard it as well (on the left coast of the
>US),
>first harmonic = fundamental, second harmonic = first overtone.
And I had heard it wrong! I looked it up in an old booklet from Scientific
American called "The Physics of Music" which is a great little (110 pg.)
booklet by the way, made up of old articles from Scientific American about
the physics of....
On the first page of the first chapter ("Physics and Music" by Fredrick A.
Saunders from July 1948) it states, "The vibration with the lowest frequency
corresponding to the number 1, is called the fundamental; the sound with
double this frequency is called the first harmonic, and the higher harmonics
are calculated in like manner."
So I offer this solution: call the fundamental, the zeroth harmonic!
JB