Which term describes a tone that can be represented by a single sine wave?

The term that describes a tone represented by a single sine wave is "pure tone." A pure tone is characterized by a smooth, periodic oscillation that creates a sound wave with a single frequency. This simplicity makes pure tones easy to analyze since they do not contain any harmonics or overtones, which are additional frequencies that contribute to more complex sounds.

Pure tones are essential in music and auditory studies because they serve as fundamental building blocks for understanding more complex sounds. They also play a crucial role in tuning musical instruments, where a specific frequency is used as a reference. The clear and isolated nature of pure tones makes them valuable in psychoacoustics and sound engineering, where the relationship between frequency and perceived pitch is examined.

In contrast, complex tones comprise multiple frequencies, resulting in richer and more textured sounds—these tones are what we typically encounter in most musical instruments and voices. Terms like rich tone and filtered tone include variations in frequency and timbre, which would not apply to the definition of a pure tone.