Why Does Adding Harmonics Not Change the Period of the Fundamental Wave?

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The discussion centers on the phenomenon where adding harmonics to a fundamental wave does not alter the period of the fundamental wave. When a fundamental wave has a period T, its harmonics, which can have periods of T/N, 2T/N, and 3T/N, contribute to the overall waveform but do not change the fundamental period. This is due to the nature of wave superposition, where the fundamental frequency dictates the overall period of the resultant wave.

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johnj7
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after doing several problems, i keep seeing that when you add the waveform of the fundamental with its higher harmonics, the period of the summed wave is equal to the period of the fundamental wave.

Could someone explain conceptually why this happens?

that would be much appreciated!
 
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Well, if the fundamental has period T, consider a harmonic with period T/N.

You can think of the harmonic also having period 2T/N, 3T/N, etc.
 

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