the.com/sawtooth
A wave that builds slowly, then slams back to zero like it owes nothing to no one.
means A waveform that ramps upward in a straight line, then drops almost instantly back to its starting point, repeating in a jagged, saw-blade pattern.
from Named simply and literally — plot the wave on a graph and its profile is a row of triangular teeth, like the edge of a saw. 'Saw' traces back to Old English 'sagu,' from a root meaning 'to cut,' and 'tooth' to Old English 'toð,' both ancient, unremarkable words pressed into service for a very modern shape: oscilloscope traces and synthesizer waves that looked, to someone, exactly like the blade in the toolshed.
- shape
- Ramps up linear, drops vertical, repeats forever
- synth use
- Richest in harmonics, basis of classic analog leads
- math twin
- Fourier sum of every harmonic, amplitude shrinking by 1/n
- real world
- CRT electron beams used it to scan each line