If fundamental wave doesn't exist

[Siyu D]

It is possible that the fundamental frequency is just perceived by our ears and in the real world, there doesn’t exist a component wave at fundamental frequency that composes a complex wave. But the first broad peak in FFT spectra analysis always corresponds to the 1st harmonic and it partly contributes to the power of the whole complex wave. But actually it may not exist. Does the FFT analysis contradcit with the real situation?

[Simon]

Breaking your question into two parts:

1. Yes, we can perceive the fundamental frequency (as pitch) even if there is zero energy at the fundamental frequency. Our perceptual system interprets the harmonic structure (i.e., the spacing between the higher harmonics) and “fills in” the fundamental.

2. FFT analysis will only show frequencies that actually exist in the signal. The first peak in the FFT does not necessarily correspond to the first harmonic.

[Author]

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