Music & Mathematics: From Pythagoras to Fractals

This Thanksgiving break, my Algebra 2 teacher, Ms. Jalilvand, assigned me a project about reading a book that shows the relation between math and an art form. I, being a music student, chose to read a book titled, Music and Mathematics: From Pythagoras to Fractals Edited by John Fauvel, Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson, which impressively shows the relation of music and mathematics, as well as the discovery of music through mathematics.  

Chapter 1 - Tuning and temperament: closing the spiral 

Pythagoras discovers the Pythagorean scale with the pitches made from the hammers from a blacksmith forge. This scale is the current scale used in the Western Hemisphere, in this pattern C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. The number for the intervals of this scale is not evenly distributed, for if it was many tones would sound out of tune.  

Chapter 2 - Music cosmology: Kepler and his readers 

The pieces composed by Kepler show his ability to be outdated or be in style centuries later. 

Chapter 3 - The science of musical sound 

The sound of music is quite hard to graph, but humans aurally receive the music in such a way that has yet to be scientifically shown.