A Perfect Harmony: Music, Mathematics and Science [Paperback]

A melodic odyssey through the interwoven worlds of music, physics and mathematics

From the earliest of civilisations, humans have found ways to make music, whether through makeshift drums or artfully drilled bone flutes. But how did music – effectively little more than a series of certain tones and rhythms – become so integral to the human experience?

Untangling the curious links between notes and number, musical perception, psychology and physics, David Darling examines the fascinating science behind music, from its Palaeolithic origins to the present.

Revealing surprising connections and busting pervasive myths,A Perfect Harmonyasks:

• Why do musicians tend to be better at maths than non-musicians?
• Why do we find some pieces sad and others happy?
• Will playing Mozart to babies predispose them to genius?
• Could an AI write the perfect symphony?

David Darlingis a science writer, astronomer and music producer. His books include the bestsellingEquations of Eternity. Together with Agnijo Banerjee, he is the co-author of theWeird Mathstrilogy andThe Biggest Number in the World. He lives in Dundee, Scotland.'Darling isone of Britain’s finest maths writers, [and shows] how inextricably numbers are intertwined with artistic creativity...fascinating.' —Financial Times'It comes as no surprise that many scientists were also musicians.A Perfect Harmonyserves to solidify just how interlinked the fields are...Darling’s observant musical odyssey across time reinforces that “music and maths are endlessly entwined… nourishing one another” and have done so for millennia. After all, at its simplest music is melody and rhythm, and rhythm cannot exist without maths.' —New Statesman'Thisdeftly writtenbook about the powerful intersections between music, maths and science... he packs il/