White noise - definition
White noise - definition
White noise is a type of random signal characterised by a uniform distribution of spectral power across the frequency band under analysis. This means that each frequency in the range contributes the same amount of energy, which in spectral terms corresponds to a flat spectrum. It is this characteristic that makes white noise the acoustic equivalent of white light, which contains all visible wavelengths with equal intensity.
In the field of acoustics white noise is perceived as a uniform, hissing sound with no distinct tone or harmonic structure. In practice, it is used to test the acoustic properties of rooms, the frequency characteristics of electro-acoustic equipment and as a reference signal in spectrum analysers. In electronics and signal theory, it has a modelling function in the description of random noise and in system parameter estimation processes.
From a mathematical point of view, white noise is a stochastic process with zero mean value and uncorrelated samples, meaning that the signal values at different moments in time are statistically independent. In digital applications, the generation of white noise is based on pseudo-random numerical algorithms that reproduce its properties in a limited bandwidth with sufficient resolution.
Although ideal white noise requires infinite bandwidth and power, in practice one operates with versions limited to a specific frequency range, adapted to technical or perceptual requirements. In sound engineering, white noise filtering is also used to obtain other types of noise, such as pink or brown noise, whose spectra correspond to more natural or subjectively uniform sounds in the audible range.
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