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Mathematics and Music
 
David Wright Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Mathematics and Music
Softcover ISBN:  978-0-8218-4873-9
Product Code:  MAWRLD/28
List Price: $65.00
MAA Member Price: $58.50
AMS Member Price: $52.00
Sale Price: $42.25
eBook ISBN:  978-1-4704-1196-1
Product Code:  MAWRLD/28.E
List Price: $55.00
MAA Member Price: $49.50
AMS Member Price: $44.00
Sale Price: $35.75
Softcover ISBN:  978-0-8218-4873-9
eBook: ISBN:  978-1-4704-1196-1
Product Code:  MAWRLD/28.B
List Price: $120.00 $92.50
MAA Member Price: $108.00 $83.25
AMS Member Price: $96.00 $74.00
Sale Price: $78.00 $60.13
Mathematics and Music
Click above image for expanded view
Mathematics and Music
David Wright Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Softcover ISBN:  978-0-8218-4873-9
Product Code:  MAWRLD/28
List Price: $65.00
MAA Member Price: $58.50
AMS Member Price: $52.00
Sale Price: $42.25
eBook ISBN:  978-1-4704-1196-1
Product Code:  MAWRLD/28.E
List Price: $55.00
MAA Member Price: $49.50
AMS Member Price: $44.00
Sale Price: $35.75
Softcover ISBN:  978-0-8218-4873-9
eBook ISBN:  978-1-4704-1196-1
Product Code:  MAWRLD/28.B
List Price: $120.00 $92.50
MAA Member Price: $108.00 $83.25
AMS Member Price: $96.00 $74.00
Sale Price: $78.00 $60.13
  • Book Details
     
     
    Mathematical World
    Volume: 282009; 161 pp
    MSC: Primary 00

    Many people intuitively sense that there is a connection between mathematics and music. If nothing else, both involve counting. There is, of course, much more to the association. David Wright's book is an investigation of the interrelationships between mathematics and music, reviewing the needed background concepts in each subject as they are encountered. Along the way, readers will augment their understanding of both mathematics and music.

    The text explores the common foundations of the two subjects, which are developed side by side. Musical and mathematical notions are brought together, such as scales and modular arithmetic, intervals and logarithms, tone and trigonometry, and timbre and harmonic analysis. When possible, discussions of musical and mathematical notions are directly interwoven. Occasionally the discourse dwells for a while on one subject and not the other, but eventually the connection is established, making this an integrative treatment of the two subjects.

    The book is a text for a freshman level college course suitable for musically inclined or mathematically inclined students, with the intent of breaking down any apprehension that either group might have for the other subject. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter. The mathematical prerequisites are a high-school level familiarity with algebra, trigonometry, functions, and graphs. Musically, the student should have had some exposure to musical staffs, standard clefs, and key signatures, though all of these are explained in the text.

    Readership

    Undergraduate students interested in math and/or music.

  • Table of Contents
     
     
    • Chapters
    • 1. Basic mathematical and musical concepts
    • 2. Horizontal structure
    • 3. Harmony and related numerology
    • 4. Ratios and musical intervals
    • 5. Logarithms and musical intervals
    • 6. Chromatic scales
    • 7. Octave identification and modular arithmetic
    • 8. Algebraic properties of the integers
    • 9. The integers as intervals
    • 10. Timbre and periodic functions
    • 11. The rational numbers as musical intervals
    • 12. Tuning the scale to obtain rational intervals
  • Reviews
     
     
    • This book is written with a different spirit. It reviews some basic concepts in both mathematics and music from the very beginning, presuming no background in either of these fields. ...Wright has packed an ambitious overview into 150 printed pages.

      Springer Science & Business
    • All the necessary mathematical and musical theory and notations are introduced as they are needed, and the book is clearly illustrated, easy to read and learn from, and certainly to be recommended. ...the author's treatment of the subject is down to earth and realistic, and I certainly plan to use the book in future courses that I teach on the subject.

      LMS Newsletter
    • In classroom use, this polished book gives mathematics students a demystification of music theory's prerequisites and music students a motivated selective review of high school mathematics.

      CHOICE Magazine
  • Requests
     
     
    Review Copy – for publishers of book reviews
    Desk Copy – for instructors who have adopted an AMS textbook for a course
    Examination Copy – for faculty considering an AMS textbook for a course
    Permission – for use of book, eBook, or Journal content
    Accessibility – to request an alternate format of an AMS title
Volume: 282009; 161 pp
MSC: Primary 00

Many people intuitively sense that there is a connection between mathematics and music. If nothing else, both involve counting. There is, of course, much more to the association. David Wright's book is an investigation of the interrelationships between mathematics and music, reviewing the needed background concepts in each subject as they are encountered. Along the way, readers will augment their understanding of both mathematics and music.

The text explores the common foundations of the two subjects, which are developed side by side. Musical and mathematical notions are brought together, such as scales and modular arithmetic, intervals and logarithms, tone and trigonometry, and timbre and harmonic analysis. When possible, discussions of musical and mathematical notions are directly interwoven. Occasionally the discourse dwells for a while on one subject and not the other, but eventually the connection is established, making this an integrative treatment of the two subjects.

The book is a text for a freshman level college course suitable for musically inclined or mathematically inclined students, with the intent of breaking down any apprehension that either group might have for the other subject. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter. The mathematical prerequisites are a high-school level familiarity with algebra, trigonometry, functions, and graphs. Musically, the student should have had some exposure to musical staffs, standard clefs, and key signatures, though all of these are explained in the text.

Readership

Undergraduate students interested in math and/or music.

  • Chapters
  • 1. Basic mathematical and musical concepts
  • 2. Horizontal structure
  • 3. Harmony and related numerology
  • 4. Ratios and musical intervals
  • 5. Logarithms and musical intervals
  • 6. Chromatic scales
  • 7. Octave identification and modular arithmetic
  • 8. Algebraic properties of the integers
  • 9. The integers as intervals
  • 10. Timbre and periodic functions
  • 11. The rational numbers as musical intervals
  • 12. Tuning the scale to obtain rational intervals
  • This book is written with a different spirit. It reviews some basic concepts in both mathematics and music from the very beginning, presuming no background in either of these fields. ...Wright has packed an ambitious overview into 150 printed pages.

    Springer Science & Business
  • All the necessary mathematical and musical theory and notations are introduced as they are needed, and the book is clearly illustrated, easy to read and learn from, and certainly to be recommended. ...the author's treatment of the subject is down to earth and realistic, and I certainly plan to use the book in future courses that I teach on the subject.

    LMS Newsletter
  • In classroom use, this polished book gives mathematics students a demystification of music theory's prerequisites and music students a motivated selective review of high school mathematics.

    CHOICE Magazine
Review Copy – for publishers of book reviews
Desk Copy – for instructors who have adopted an AMS textbook for a course
Examination Copy – for faculty considering an AMS textbook for a course
Permission – for use of book, eBook, or Journal content
Accessibility – to request an alternate format of an AMS title
Please select which format for which you are requesting permissions.