Pitch refers to which of the following?

• A. The human perception of the fundamental frequency of a sound wave
• B. The amplitude of the waveform
• C. The speed of sound in air
• D. The color of the sound

Answer: (A)

Pitch is the perceptual quality that lets us hear a sound as high or low, and it is determined mainly by the fundamental frequency of the sound wave. Higher fundamental frequency is heard as a higher pitch, and doubling that frequency raises the pitch by an octave. Amplitude affects how loud a sound is, not its pitch; the speed of sound in air is a property of the medium and does not define pitch; and timbre, the color of the sound, comes from the spectrum and overtones and influences quality rather than the perceived pitch.