Math and Music

How are they related?

A Think Quest
By Ms. Cogley
 Math & Music
• Math and music have always been considered
closely connected in many ways.
• It is widely believed that students who do well
in music also excel in math.
• Let’s take a look at some of the basic
components of music and see what math has
to do with them.
 Rhythm is to Music
as
Numbers are to Math
• Rhythm measures time
• Measure is the space between
two bar lines on the staff that
represents the division of time by
which air and movement of music
are regulated
• When you play a few different
notes together or even repeat the
same note on an instrument, you
create something called rhythm.
 "Give me an A" = 440hz
• Music is made up of sound.
• Sound is made from repeating
sound waves.
• The musical pitch of each note
has a corresponding frequency
measured physically in hz
(hertz) or cycles per second.
• There are some important
mathematical relationships
between the notes played in
music and the frequency of
those notes.
A table of Frequencies
 Pythagoras
• The Greek octave had a mere five notes.
• Pythagoras pointed out that each note was a
fraction of a string.
• Example: Lets say you had a string that played
an A. The next note is 4/5 the length (or 5/4 the
frequency) which is approximately a C. The rest
of the octave has the fractions 3/4
(approximately D), 2/3 (approximately E), and
3/5 (approximately F), before you run into 1/2
which is the octave A
 Ratios
• Pythagoras was excited by the idea that these
ratios were made up of the numbers
1,2,3,4, and 5.
• Why?
• Pythagoras imagined a "music of the spheres"
that was created by the universe.
• The 18th century music of J. S. Bach, has
mathematical undertones, so does the 20th
century music of Philip Glass.
 Golden Ratio and Fibonacci
• It is believed that some composers wrote their
music using the golden ratio and the Fibonacci
numbers to assist them
• Golden Ratio: 1.6180339887
• Fibonacci Numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21
 From Then to Now
• So, how did we get the 12 notes scale out of these six notes?
• Some unknown follower of Pythagoras tried applying these ratios to the other notes on the
scale.
• For example, B is the result of the 2/3 ratio note (E) applied to itself. 2/3 * 2/3 = 4/9 which
lies between octave A (1/2) and octave C (4/10). To put B in the same octave we multiply 4/9
by two to arrive at 8/9. G is produced backward from A. As B is a full tone above A at a string
ratio of 8/9, we can create a missing tone below A by lengthening the string to a ratio of 9/8.
To add G to the same octave we apply 9/8 to 1/2 (octave A) and by multiplication we get 9/16
as the ratio to G.
• BUT! There was a problem, however, if you performed this transformation a third time. The
12 tone octave created by starting with an A was different than the 12 tone octave created
when you started with an A#.
• Which means that two harps (or pianos, or any other instrument) tuned to different keys
would sound out of tune with one another. Also, music written in one scale could not be
transposed easily into another because it would sound quite different.
• The solution was created around the time of Bach. A "well tempered" scale was created by
using the 2 to the 1/12th power ratio mentioned above. Using an irrational number to fix
music based on ratios, Pythagoras probably rolled over in his grave.
 Your Turn
• I would like for you to research mathematics
and it’s connection to music
• Conduct a survey of students who played an
instrument, for how long, and their grades in
mathematics
• I want to know how you feel about the two
and their connection.
 References
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number
• http://library.thinkquest.org/4116/Music/music.htm
• http://www.musicmasterworks.com/ConsonanceCo
mplication/TheComplicationWithConsonance.htm
• http://www.mathhiker.com/archives/496
• http://www.musicmasterworks.com/WhereMathMe
etsMusic.html