Sounding Number: Music & Math

Catalog description

Music has many connections to mathematics. The ancient Greeks discovered that chords with pleasing sounds are related to simple ratios of integers. Other connections include equations describing the sounds of musical instruments, the mathematics of digital recording, the use of symmetry in composition, and the systematic exploration of patterns by African and Indian drummers. This course introduces basic concepts in trigonometry, set and group theory, and combinatorics and investigates their applications in the analysis, recording, and composition of music. Along the way, we consider the role of creativity in mathematics and the ways in which mathematics has inspired musicians. The course will involve hands-on laboratory work in audio engineering and music composition.