(German Oberton, from ober — upper and ton — tone), a sinusoidal component of a periodic oscillation of complex form whose frequency is higher than that of the fundamental tone. Any periodic oscillation can be represented as the sum of the fundamental tone and overtones, the frequencies and amplitudes of these overtones being determined both by the physical properties of the oscillating system and by the way it is excited. If the frequencies of all the overtones are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency, such overtones are called harmonic, or harmonics. If the frequencies depend on the fundamental frequency in a more complicated way, the overtones are said to be inharmonic. In this case the periodic oscillation can also be represented as a sum of harmonics, but the expansion will be approximate, and the more accurate the greater the number of harmonics taken. If the frequency of the fundamental tone is f (the first overtone), then the frequency of the second overtone is 2f or close to that value, that of the third — 3f , and so on.