Final answer:
Beat frequencies produced by striking F, F-sharp, and G on a piano simultaneously are 21 Hz, 22 Hz, and 43 Hz. These frequencies cause a pulsing sound known as beats, typical of discordant combinations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the phenomenon called beat frequency, which is the result of superposition of two sound waves with slightly different frequencies. When three adjacent keys on a piano, such as F, F-sharp, and G are struck simultaneously, with frequencies of 349 Hz, 370 Hz, and 392 Hz respectively, we can calculate the beat frequencies produced by pairs of these notes.
Beat frequency is calculated as the absolute difference between two frequencies. This results in beat frequencies of:
21 Hz between F (349 Hz) and F-sharp (370 Hz)
22 Hz between F-sharp (370 Hz) and G (392 Hz)
43 Hz between F (349 Hz) and G (392 Hz), a combination of the other two beats
These beat frequencies lead to the perception of pulses or 'throbbing' in the sound when such notes are played together, a characteristic of discordant combinations.
Additionally, harmonics are multiples of the fundamental frequency, and overtones are various combinations of these frequencies that contribute to the timbre of an instrument.