Compare intervals with cents

We will explain how to calculate cents later, for now we will give an example of comparing intervals using cents.

Temeperament C4 E4 Cents  
Major third, Pitagorean tuning 260 329.06 408
Major third, just intonation 260 325 386

There is a difference of 22 cents (408 - 386 = 22) between thirds (thanks to the magic of cents, we calculate the difference by subtraction). In equal temperament, a half-step has 100 cents. So the difference between thirds is almost 1/4 semitone. The use of cents helps to visualize the difference between intervals.

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