What can we learn about the nature of reality and the ways that we humans have invented to discover how the world works? An exploration of these questions through the physical principles encountered in the study of music. The applicable laws of mechanics, fundamentals of sound, harmonic content, principles of sound production in musical instruments, musical scales. Numerous illustrative lecture demonstrations will be given. Only the basics of high school algebra and geometry will be used.

Does the Campanile sound out of tune to you? What does this have to do with our understanding of the Big Bang? And how would thinking about this help me to write a better English essay, defend an innocent person accused of murder, save the world from the next plague, or at least understand why my friend can't carry a tune? Physics and Music is a course designed to help students think about how to approach the world with the eyes, ears, and mind of a scientist. We will use the domain of music and sound to ask what we can learn about the nature of reality and the methods that we humans have developed to discover how the world works. The mysteries of music have long inspired scientists to invent new tools of thought, and some of the earliest scientific concepts were invented to understand music. Surprisingly the concepts that underlie our approach to music appear again and again in the world around us, and they are still at play in the very latest theories and experiments of fundamental physics. Questions as simple as "Why do different instruments playing the same note sound so different?" can lead to profound answers about the physical world--and our human-limited capacity to explore it.

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for Physics C21/Letters and Science C70W after completing Physics 21. A deficient grade in Physics 21 may be removed by taking Physics C21/Letters and Science C70W.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills