Science and Music (Cambridge Library Collection - Mathematics) - Softcover

Jeans, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1108005691 ISBN 13: 9781108005692

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Sir James Jeans has used his remarkable gifts of exposition to set out all that is relevant in the science of acoustics to the art of music. He offers a simple but precise account (illustrated with well-chosen photographs and diagrams) of the anatomical origin and workings of the human ear; the nature of sound vibrations; simple tones and complex sounds; the principles and operation of musical instruments; harmony and the musical scale; the effects of music on men and animals; and the practical problems of acoustical design. Scientists who appreciate music, musicians with an interest in science and laymen who care for both, will thoroughly enjoy this book.

About this title

Book Description

This book sets out all that is relevant in the science of acoustics to the art of music. He offers a simple but precise account (illustrated with well-chosen photographs and diagrams) of the anatomical origin and workings of the human ear; the nature of sound vibrations; and the practical problems of acoustical design.

About the Author

Sir James Jeans: Science Made Simple
Sir James Jeans (1877–1946), English physicist, astronomer, and mathematician, made substantial contributions to many areas of science including quantum theory, the theory of radiation, and stellar evolution, but is most remembered today for several elegantly written books on science and its meaning for the general reader. Among these are the classics Physics and Philosophy, published by Dover in 1981, and Science and Music, published by Dover in 1968.

In the Author's Own Words:
"Put three grains of sand inside a vast cathedral, and the cathedral will be more closely packed with sand than space is with stars."

"Life exists in the universe only because the carbon atom possesses certain exceptional properties."

"The human race, whose intelligence dates back only a single tick of the astronomical clock, could hardly hope to understand so soon what it all means."

From Physics and Philosophy:
"Science usually advances by a succession of small steps, through a fog in which even the most keen-sighted explorer can seldom see more than a few paces ahead. Occasionally the fog lifts, an eminence is gained, and a wider stretch of territory can be surveyed — sometimes with startling results. A whole science may then seem to undergo a kaleidoscopic rearrangement, fragments of knowledge sometimes being found to fit together in a hitherto unsuspected manner. Sometimes the shock of readjustment may spread to other sciences; sometimes it may divert the whole current of human thought."

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108005691
• ISBN 13: 9781108005692
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288