What is the pitch of a sound?

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cindysnifflesuz · Accepted Answer

Sound waves are compression waves. They usually travel through air, but can also travel through other substances like water and even metal. Sound waves can't travel in a vacuum, like in space, because there is nothing to compress.
Sound waves are like other waves: they have a frequency, a velocity and a wavelength. They travel at about

300 m s^{- 1}

in air, depending on the air pressure.
The frequency of the wave - the number of waves passing a point every second - is measure in hertz(Hz), and the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch of the sound. If you think of the lowest sound a bass guitar or double bass can make, it would have a frequency of about 40Hz. The highest note on the smallest string on a guitar would be about 1200Hz.
Our ear hears a doubling of frequency as an 'octave' in music. I don't have the space to go into all the details here, but the links between music and physics are fascinating.

What is the pitch of a sound?

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