Harmonics are the standing waves at integer multiples of a fundamental frequency

On a vibrating string or air column, standing waves can exist not only at the fundamental but at every integer division of that wave; these permitted vibration modes are the harmonics of the fundamental. The nth harmonic has n times the fundamental’s frequency (the second harmonic, also called the first overtone, is twice the frequency and half the wavelength). This integer-multiple series is why pitched sounds have a definite pitch and a characteristic set of overtones, and it is the raw vocabulary every other synthesis idea builds on.

Examples

A 100 Hz fundamental has harmonics at 200, 300, 400 Hz and so on; the 200 Hz component is the second harmonic / first overtone.

Assessment

State the frequency relationship between a fundamental and its nth harmonic, and give the frequency of the third harmonic of 220 Hz.