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What does 16.35 Hz sound like?
16.35 Hz is a infrasound frequency. It is infrasound – below the roughly 20 Hz lower limit of human pitch perception. At high levels it is felt as pressure, fluttering or vibration rather than heard as a tone, and phone or laptop speakers cannot reproduce it at all.
A 16.35 Hz sound wave completes 16.35 cycles every second, so one cycle lasts 61.2 ms. In air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 m/s, each wave is 20.98 m (68.83 ft) long; in water it stretches to 90.58 m because sound moves about 4.3 times faster there.
Musically, 16.35 Hz is almost exactly C0 (16.35 Hz) in standard A440 tuning. Doubling it to 32.7 Hz raises the pitch by one octave; halving it to 8.175 Hz lowers it by one.
Natural infrasound comes from earthquakes, volcanoes, ocean waves, wind and thunder; whales and elephants use it to communicate across long distances.
Wavelength of 16.35 Hz in different materials
| Medium | Speed of sound | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 343 m/s | 20.98 m |
| Fresh water | 1,481 m/s | 90.58 m |
| Seawater | 1,500 m/s | 91.74 m |
| Helium | 1,007 m/s | 61.59 m |
| Steel | 5,960 m/s | 364.53 m |
| Glass | 5,640 m/s | 344.95 m |
Harmonics and octaves
Real instruments playing 16.35 Hz also produce harmonics at whole-number multiples of the fundamental. Their relative strength gives each instrument its timbre.
| Harmonic | Frequency | Nearest note |
|---|---|---|
| 1× (fundamental) | 16.35 Hz | C0 |
| 2× | 32.7 Hz | C1 |
| 3× | 49.05 Hz | G1 |
| 4× | 65.4 Hz | C2 |
| 5× | 81.75 Hz | E2 |
| 6× | 98.1 Hz | G2 |
| 7× | 114.45 Hz | A♯2 |
| 8× | 130.8 Hz | C3 |
Which animals can hear 16.35 Hz?
Cannot hear it
Humans, Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, Gerbils, Guinea pigs, Hedgehogs, Raccoons, Opossums, Chinchillas, Bats, Beluga whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Chickens, Canaries, Budgerigars (parakeets), Cockatiels, Owls, Bullfrogs, Tree frogs, Goldfish, Catfish, Tuna, Greater wax moths
Frequently asked questions
What does 16.35 Hz sound like?
It is infrasound – below the roughly 20 Hz lower limit of human pitch perception. At high levels it is felt as pressure, fluttering or vibration rather than heard as a tone, and phone or laptop speakers cannot reproduce it at all.
Can humans hear 16.35 Hz?
No. 16.35 Hz is below the ~20 Hz limit of human pitch perception; very loud infrasound can be felt as vibration.
What musical note is 16.35 Hz?
16.35 Hz is almost exactly C0, which is 16.35 Hz in standard A440 tuning.
What is the wavelength of 16.35 Hz?
About 20.98 m in air at 20 °C and 90.58 m in water.
Can dogs hear 16.35 Hz?
No – dogs hear roughly 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz.