harmonic series

noun

: a series of the form {latex}1 + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{5} + \frac{1}{6} + \dots{/latex}

Examples of harmonic series in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The ending of the first movement makes clear Britten’s awareness of this aesthetic dichotomy, with a cello glissando ascent through the harmonic series, an acoustic phenomenon literally at the core of western ideas of musical consonance and harmony. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022 This kind of series, based on successive reciprocal numbers, is known as a harmonic series. Quanta Magazine, 2 Dec. 2016 Also called the Euler-Mascheroni constant, it is defined as the limiting difference between the natural logarithm the harmonic series. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 5 Oct. 2016 At one point, the music seems to orbit around the natural harmonic series, and a drone appears at another. Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 26 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of harmonic series was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near harmonic series

Cite this Entry

“Harmonic series.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harmonic%20series. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!