harmonic Hear it!

harmonic Definition

har·monic (här män′ik)

adjective

  1. harmonious in feeling or effect; agreeing
  2. Math. designating or of a harmonic progression
  3. Music
    1. of or pertaining to harmony rather than to melody or rhythm
    2. of or pertaining to a harmonic

Etymology: L harmonicus < Gr harmonikos < harmonia, harmony

noun

  1. an alternating-current voltage or current or a component of such voltage or current, whose frequency is some integral multiple of a fundamental frequency
  2. any of the pure tones making up a composite tone, including the fundamental and its upper partials or overtones; partial tone

Related Forms:

harmonic Synonyms

harmonic

modif.

consonant, tuneful, symphonious; see harmonious.

harmonic Telecom Definition
A sinusoidal component of a waveform that is an integral multiple of a fundamental frequency. The signal waveform is known as the first harmonic. A waveform that has a component that is twice the frequency of the fundamental frequency, or signal waveform, is known as the second harmonic. An unwanted harmonic causes harmonic distortion. See harmonic distortion.
harmonic Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • resolve: Subjects with " absolute pitch " can resolve high-order harmonics.
  • generate: A non-linear amplifier will generate harmonics that are not present in the original signal.
  • contain: The leathered lips resulted in vaguely defined broad impulses being delivered to the air column in the pipe, such impulses containing fewer harmonics.
  • produce: When a guitar string is plucked there are often a series of harmonics produced at the same time as the fundamental.

Adjective modifier

  • spherical: The current state of the art makes use of spherical harmonics.
  • unresolved: Envelope amplitude modulation occurs in cochlear filtered speech because of unresolved harmonics.
  • odd: Square Wave: A symmetrical rectangular waveform which contain a series of odd harmonics.
  • high: The SAI pulses associated with the higher harmonics are relatively narrow with respect to the changes in period during the pitch glide.
  • low: However they could vibrate at much lower harmonics, which could feasibly give rise to a low frequency hum.
  • even: The ratio of odd to even harmonics ( or half to full harmonics ).

Modifies a noun

  • oscillator: A nitrogen molecule is thus a good approximation to a harmonic oscillator.
  • distortion: The active filter is also able to correct harmonic voltage distortions at points remote from the active shunt filter itself.
  • wavelet: Newland, D.E. Ridge and phase identification in the frequency analysis of transient signals by harmonic wavelets.
  • morphisms: In [ Harmonic morphisms with fibers of dimension one, Comm.
  • overtone: The effect of the harmonic overtones is then to modify the quality or character 5 of the note, independently of pitch.
  • tremor: These lines are seen in harmonic tremor which follows the build up of repeated hybrid events.

Modifying Another Word

  • first: The polarized signal is recovered from the first harmonic at 40 kHz using lock-in amplifiers.

Noun used with modifier

  • guitar: The album begins with a loop of guitar harmonics, into which a drum kicks in, then the vocal.
  • frequency: This was at the fundamental frequency and/or low-order harmonics, not the high frequencies of noise.

Preposition: of

  • frequency: The is also an electron Bernstein wave which propagates at harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency.