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Music by the Numbers

From Pythagoras to Schoenberg
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( 367 ratings, 48 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Music by the Numbers explores how music has profoundly influenced mathematics, physics, and astronomy from ancient Greece through to twentieth-century science. Eli Maor argues that music shaped mathematical ideas more than vice versa, tracing this connection from Pythagoras to Schoenberg and into contemporary string theory. Through engaging stories of composers, scientists, and inventors, alongside his own reflections as a mathematician and classical music enthusiast, Maor reveals the deep interplay between these disciplines.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will captivate readers interested in the intersections of mathematics, music, science, and history, including students, educators, and enthusiasts of classical music and mathematical thought.

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How music has influenced mathematics, physics, and astronomy from ancient Greece to the twentieth century

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

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 Arnold Schoenberg, Iannis Xenakis, and Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote music explicitly based on mathematical principles. Yet Eli Maor argues that it is music that has had the greater influence on mathematics, not the other way around.

Starting with Pythagoras, proceeding through Schoenberg, and bringing the story up to the present with contemporary string theory, Music by the Numbers tells a fascinating story of composers, scientists, inventors, and eccentrics who have played a role in the age-old relationship between music, mathematics, and the physical sciences. Weaving compelling stories of historical episodes with Maor's personal reflections as a mathematician and lover of classical music, this book will delight anyone who loves math and music.

'An intriguing study.' - Barbara Kiser, Nature

'A fascinating investigation of the relationship between math and music - what they have in common, how they differ, and how each has informed the other. A delightful examination of how math and culture interact.' - Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its beautiful and accessible writing, Eli Maor's work is celebrated for making mathematics sing like a violin and for being intensely readable. Reviewers commend it as a fascinating, intriguing, and delightful study of the mutual relationship between music and mathematics, full of anecdotes and insightful historical episodes. It is recommended for anyone interested in the cultural interaction of math and music.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691202969

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 March 2020

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 43 b/w illus.

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Eli Maor is a former professor of the history of mathematics at Loyola University Chicago. His books include the internationally acclaimed To Infinity and Beyond, e: The Story of a Number, Trigonometric Delights, and The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year History (all Princeton).

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