100 Hz
Bass (20–250 Hz) · G2
Turn the volume down before you play. A pure tone is harder on the ears than music at the same level.
Common value
A value that comes up often in searches and tests.
| Wavelength | 3.43 m |
|---|---|
| Period | 10 ms |
| Nearest note | G2 |
| Off by | +35 cents |
| Audible | Yes |
| Harmonics | 200 Hz · 300 Hz · 400 Hz |
| One octave down | 50 Hz |
| One octave up | 200 Hz |
How to read this
- Hertz counts how many times the air vibrates per second. The bigger the number, the higher the pitch.
- Wavelength is the speed of sound (343 m/s at 20 °C) divided by the frequency. That makes 20 Hz seventeen metres long and 20 kHz under two centimetres.
- People hear roughly 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but the upper limit drops with age. Past about 15 kHz, some hear the tone and some do not.
- Hearing nothing does not mean the equipment is broken. Small speakers cannot reach the low notes, and for the high ones it is the ear that gives up first.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does 100 Hz sound like?
It is a pure tone vibrating 100 times a second. It falls inside the range people hear, and the nearest musical note is G2.
Q. What is the wavelength of 100 Hz?
3.43 m in air. Sound travels 343 metres per second through 20 °C air, so the wavelength is that distance divided by 100.
Q. What note is 100 Hz?
The nearest note is G2, and it is 35 cents sharp. A semitone is 100 cents, so that is about 35% of a semitone away.
Q. I cannot hear 100 Hz — is something wrong?
This band is comfortable for most equipment and most ears, so check the volume and the output device first.
Q. What are the harmonics of 100 Hz?
The whole-number multiples: 200 Hz, 300 Hz, 400 Hz. An octave up is double, 200 Hz; an octave down is half, 50 Hz.
Nearby frequencies
Frequency doubles for every octave, so closeness is measured in ratios, not differences.