Physics and Music

[JonG]

I have known a number of physicists who have had an interest in playing musical instruments and, of course, it is well known that Albert Einstein played the violin.

 

In the UK, there are several universities which offer degrees in Physics and Music. For example:

 

The university of Cardiff:

http://courses.cardiff.ac.uk/undergraduate/detail/fw33.html

 

The university of Edinburgh:

http://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/our-degrees/physics-and-music

 

The Royal College of Music with Imperial College:

http://www.rcm.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bschonsinphysicsandmusicperformance/

 

What is the connection between the two subjects? I don't think it is simply that Physics students might study acoustics - there is a lot more to Physics than that, and the last link above claims music is studied "with all the components of an honours degree in physics".

[Enthalpy]

Music and physics are strongly linked (hi Pytagoras)... It's just that a few notions (standing waves, resonances) are reasonably simple, but most other aspects are too complicated to be explained up to now.

 

The perception of sound is poorly understood.

 

Music instruments must be easy to play, and this is poorly understood as well.

 

Music instruments have evolved according to observation and theories, but not theories that rely on the elementary mathematics we like, so the resulting instruments don't follow simple rules, shapes, designs.

 

The materials used are difficult. Wood, catgut, horse tail, cane... are seriously difficult to model, but synthetic materials can't replace them because they lack the performance.

 

As a result, music physics is seriously difficult (or would be difficult if we had some), and instruments are the difficult part of acoustics, just like antennas are the difficult part of electromagnetics.

[JonG]

Music and physics are strongly linked (hi Pytagoras)... It's just that a few notions (standing waves, resonances) are reasonably simple, but most other aspects are too complicated to be explained up to now.

 

 

I accept that it is a difficult area. I like listening to Music and I also like reading parts of Physics, but I struggle to find a connection between the two. The sort of thing I have wondered about is that neither depends particularly strongly on linguistic or verbal skills, but I don't know if that reveals anything.

 

Another example that comes to mind is Richard Feynman playing bongo drums:

 

 

but perhaps not everyone would see that as music!

Edited October 13, 2014 by JonG

[elfmotat]

I play the drums, so this half makes me wish I went to school in the UK.

[JonG]

I play the drums, so this half makes me wish I went to school in the UK.

 

 

There is a UK website which expresses my puzzlement at this apparent connection between Physics and Music very well - better than I could manage.

 

http://highheelsinthelab.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/physics-and-music-what-is-connection.html

[imatfaal]

[/ot] Apologies for off-topic nature but had to post one of my fave youtube vids - it just seemed to fit this thread