A440 = 0 cents? Re: Hertz and Cents

[Richard Moody]

> So when A4 is tuned to 440 hertz is this zero cents?  And anything
measured
> below  in the scale  the cents go into the negative cent numbers and
> anything above goes into positive cent numbers?


Yes because you are tuning the piano string to the tuning fork.  If both the
fork and the string are at A440 that is 0 cents.  It works out because Log
(1) = 0  because  440/440 = 1 .     Yes you do get negative cents if the
ratio is smaller than one. Just use the formula  Log(F/f)/Log(2)*1200.   Of
course Log(2)*1200 will always be the same so it amounts to  Log
(F/f)*3986.314  Try it with 440/439    and 439/440

----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Mahard <nlm@csu.cted.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 7:58 PM
Subject: A440 = 0 cents? Re: Hertz and Cents


> So when A4 is tuned to 440 hertz is this zero cents?  And anything
measured
> below  in the scale  the cents go into the negative cent numbers and
> anything above goes into positive cent numbers?
> ----- Original Message -----