💯 The Octaves and Sound Frequencies Explained
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Octaves
Musical notes have the same name if they are separated by an octave. An octave corresponds to one pitch having double the frequency of the other. The A an octave above Concert A (440 Hz) has a frequency of 2 x 440 = 880 Hz.
Question 9
Suppose the note “Middle C” has a frequency of 256 Hz.
(a) Calculate the frequency of the C that is one octave above middle C.
A difference of one octave equates to a doubling of the frequency. 256 x 2 = 512 Hz
(b) Calculate the frequency of the C that is two octaves above middle C.
512 x 2 = 1024 Hz
Question 10
A student uses an oscilloscope to measure the wavelengths of two musical notes in the same medium. If the two notes are one octave apart, how will their wavelengths differ?
The velocity of sound depends on the medium, so if both waves travel through the same medium, they will have the same velocity.
From the equation v = f times (lambda), this means that the higher note (which has twice the frequency of the lower note) has a wavelength half as long as the lower note.
