Vibration
Definition
Vibration is movement without motion. Vibration is movement or oscillation within an object itself or in a medium, in one place.
At the origin of all sound is an object and/or medium which is stirred into vibration.
A tone or pitch is a relatively simple set of regular vibrations, a chord is a relatively complex set of regular vibrations, a noise can be both a relatively simple or complex set of irregular vibrations.
Vibrations are measured by their frequencies.
The study of sound and vibration are closely related. Sound creates pressure waves in a medium, and these pressure waves can induce the vibration of the ear drum. The harmonic series are a sound phenomenon directly related to vibration.
Examples of a drum in vibration
The following examples show a drum skin vibrating in 8 different timbres, with varying overtones, ranging from simple to complex:
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