Question

Quality of sound primarily depends upon

• A. Intensity
• B. Frequency
• C. Shape of the source
• D. Wave form

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Wave form

The quality depends primarily on the waveform of the sound. The waveform of the sound emitted by a tuning fork is a simple sine curve. But most bodies vibrate in a very complex manner. Besides the fundamental frequency $f$, they consist of additional frequencies of $2f$, $3f$, $4f$, etc. These additional tones are called overtones or harmonics. According to Helmholtz, the quality is determined by the number, relative frequency and intensities of the component simple tones of which a complex vibration is composed of.