Music and Mathematics

Music and Its Connection to Our Lives

Music, as you know, is present in almost every part of our lives. Whether you listen to it while studying or sleeping, it’s everywhere. But have you ever wondered about the true nature of music or its effects on our brain? In this article, I’ll explore these fascinating topics.

The True Nature of Music

Understanding the true nature of music can actually change your perspective on life. Why? Because music is a field that connects even the most seemingly unrelated areas, reshaping how we view both science and art. This connection has been explored for centuries, dating back to Ancient Greece.

According to legend, Pythagoras discovered the mathematical basis of music while passing by a blacksmith’s workshop. He noticed that the rhythmic sounds of hammers striking anvils differed in tone. Observing further, he saw that the hammers’ sizes were proportional: one was twice the size of another, while another was two-thirds the size of the smallest one. He identified these ratios as the fundamental intervals of music.

While this story introduces the relationship between music and mathematics, Pythagoras’s findings weren’t entirely accurate. For example, although Western music still uses similar ratios, they don’t align perfectly with Eastern musical traditions. In Western music, Pythagoras’s ratios have been likened to a musical clock.

One composer who embraced this concept was Bach. His compositions often employed the symmetry of the musical clock. If you analyze his works, such as The Well-Tempered Clavier, you’ll observe this remarkable balance.

How Music and Mathematics Work in Our Brains

To understand the connection between music and mathematics, it helps to explore brain anatomy. Music is processed in a part of the brain called the temporal lobe. When sound waves enter the ear, they pass through three sections:

1. Outer ear

2. Middle ear

3. Inner ear

In the inner ear, hair cells vibrate in response to sound waves. These vibrations are transmitted to the brain via nerves, passing through the thalamus, which classifies incoming signals. The thalamus then sends the signals to the temporal lobe, where they are processed and responses are generated.

This process is incredibly fast, occurring beyond the scope of human perception. Why is this important? Because the brain regions responsible for music processing and mathematical reasoning are very close to each other.

• Music is processed in the right temporal lobe.

• Mathematics is processed in the right parietal lobe.

This proximity explains why individuals who are talented in music often excel in mathematics. Studies have also shown that children receiving music education at an early age tend to perform better in mathematical tasks.

A Closing Note

I hope this article has broadened your perspective on the connection between different disciplines and encouraged you to be more curious. Music and mathematics, though seemingly different, share profound connections that enrich our understanding of both fields.

See you in future articles!

References

1. Correlation Between Music and Math: A Neurobiology Perspective

2. Correlation Between Math and Music Ability

3. The Relationship Between Music and Math

4. Music and Mathematics on Wikipedia

5. Strong Vibrations: The Physics of Music, TÜBİTAK Publications

6. Science and Technology Monthly Popular Science Magazine, June 2022, Volume 55, Issue 655

Footnotes

• [1] In Ancient Greece, mathematics was seen as a universal key to understanding the world. This belief was so strong that those unfamiliar with geometry were barred from Plato’s Academy. I’ll explore the philosophical influence of this movement on the history of science in a future article.

• [2] Temporal lobes are also called temple lobes. Prolonged exposure to loud or constant noise can cause pain in these regions due to overactivity. Persistent pain should prompt a visit to a doctor.

• [3] The right parietal lobe is also linked to self-awareness. Studies suggest that individuals who practice intense discipline, as in achieving Nirvana in Buddhism, can nearly deactivate this lobe, reducing their sense of self. I’ll discuss this intriguing topic in another article.

• [4] In future articles, I’ll explain why the human brain’s counting capacity is limited to four and how this relates to spatial perception.

Written by Betül Ebrar Özdemir
Edited by Rüzgar Kaçmaz

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