electrical hum
Transformer's steady tone
Electrical hum is the low, steady drone produced by electrical equipment, particularly transformers, fluorescent lights, and appliances.
The sound typically occurs at 60 hertz in North America (50 hertz elsewhere), matching the frequency of alternating current.
The hum can indicate normal operation or signal a problem: The electrical hum from the old refrigerator kept me awake.
Background electrical hum often goes unnoticed until equipment is switched off.
- buzzContinuous low drone
- droneUnmanned flying machine
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- frequencyRate of recurrence
- transformerVoltage-altering electrical device
fluorescent · fluorescent light · light bulb · low frequency · whine · resonance · power · grid · voltage · AC current · background noise · oscillation · throb · monotone · appliance · refrigerator · alternating · current
- humshum, motor hum, refrigerator hum, thrum
- noisewhite noise, pink noise, brown noise, static, hiss
- electrical humpower hum, ground loop
electrical humsilence
Total lack of sound
dead silence · quiet · stillness · soundlessness · hush
electrical humbirdsong
Avian musical vocalizations
natural sounds · rustling leaves · forest sounds · ocean waves · human voice
electrical humstatic
Without motion or change
white noise · crackling · hissing · sputtering · chaos
electrical, electric, electricity, electrically, electrify, electrified, electrifying, electrification, electron