What is a Sawtooth Wave?
A sine wave, in its simplest form, is one which has a fixed frequency and wavelength and is very reminiscent of the pictures most people have seen of waves with no sharp angles. However, a sawtooth wave is a different type altogether. Instead of having those gently sloping peaks and valleys, the ramps drop or begin sharply, becoming similar to the teeth of a saw.
Most conventional sawtooth waves begin by building pressure upward gradually in a straight line, then have a sharp drop off in another straight line. The process then repeats itself. However, a sawtooth wave can also act in reverse, slowly going down before a sharp up slope. This is known as a reverse sawtooth wave or can also be called an inverse sawtooth wave. Either way, these types of sine waves still look like a saw. It is simply the common form looks like a saw with the teeth being held upward.
Like all sine waves, the sawtooth wave is capable of producing sound. However, as one might suspect, because the sawtooth wave looks different than normal waves, the sound it produces will also be different. This sound will likely be very harsh, compared to the soft sounds of most waves. However, the sound produced by a sawtooth wave should also be relatively clear.
While the theory behind the sawtooth wave may be boring to some people, this wave does have some practical applications. For example, it often forms the foundation for music synthesizers. As such, it is responsible for their unique sounds and also plays a role in producing the sounds of other instruments. Its use is especially valuable when replicating the sounds of string instruments.
The sawtooth wave can also be used even in visual applications, but this is not as common as the synthesized uses. Through its electromagnetic properties, the sawtooth wave can actually be used to manipulate groups of pixels, or the raster, on the screen. Thus, this wave can be a very important tool for certain types of monitors, such as the more traditional CRT units.
One way a sawtooth wave differs from its counterparts is in its level of symmetry. Simply put, within the wave, there is none. While each wavelength may be the same, the gradual slope will always be longer than the sharp slope. Thus, this represents a very important difference between the sawtooth wave and other types of sine waves.
Written by Ken Black
