The Birdsong Promise by Kate Frost
How music has influenced mathematics, physics, and astronomy from ancient Greece to the twentieth century
Music is filled with mathematical elements, the works of Bach are often said to possess a math-like logic, and Igor Stravinsky said musical form is close to mathematics, while Arnold Schoenberg, Iannis Xenakis, and Karlheinz Stockhausen went further, writing music explicitly based on mathematical principles. Yet Eli Maor argues that music has influenced math at least as much as math has influenced music. Starting with Pythagoras, proceeding through the work of Schoenberg, and ending with contemporary string theory, Music by the Numbers tells a fascinating story of composers, scientists, inventors, and eccentrics who played a role in the age-old relationship between music, mathematics, and the sciences, especially physics and astronomy. Music by the Numbers explores key moments in this history, particularly how problems originating in music have inspired mathematicians for centuries. Perhaps the most famous of these problems is the vibrating string, which pitted some of the greatest mathematicians of the eighteenth century against each other in a debate that lasted more than fifty years and that eventually led to the development of post-calculus mathematics. Other highlights in the book include a comparison between meter in music and metric in geometry, complete with examples of rhythmic patterns from Bach to Stravinsky, and an exploration of a suggestive twentieth-century development: the nearly simultaneous emergence of Einstein's theory of relativity and Schoenberg's twelve-tone system. Weaving these compelling historical episodes with Maor's personal reflections as a mathematician and lover of classical music, Music by the Numbers will delight anyone who loves mathematics and music.Kate Frost is a writer and author who holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, where she also teaches a lifewriting course to Creative Writing students. Kate has worked in a bookshop, a cinema, as ground crew at the Edgebaston Tennis Tournament, and as a Supporting Artist in the films Vanity Fair, King Arthur, and The Duchess, in addition to authoring articles and short stories for magazines such as New Welsh Review, The London Magazine, and QWF. Kate has written two women's fiction novels, Under the Apple Blossom and The Butterfly Storm, and her debut children's book, Time Shifters: Into the Past, is the first of a trilogy. She and her family live in Bristol, with her husband, small son, and dog.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780995478060 |
| ISBN 10 | 0995478066 |
| Title | The Birdsong Promise |
| Author | Kate Frost |
| Series | Butterfly Storm |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Lemon Tree Press |
| Year published | 2018-11-07 |
| Number of pages | 264 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |