physics of music

"AHH, WHAT A FINE DAY... FOR SCIENCE."
-Dexter, Dexter's Lab

NOTES FOR--
discussing pitch, octaves, harmonics and overtones in relation to sound waves/wavelenghts, and the scientific/mathematic aspects of harmonic oscillators, including actual musical equations (both tangible and functional!).

visualize a vibrating string.
-"nodes" (fixed points at the ends)
[demonstration:
using a xylophone key]
-create nodes with fingered notes
-harmonics divide up the string into (fractional) sections. each point creates a higher pitch of an already higher note. ("equal-sized sections resonating at increasingly higher frequencies."-wiki)
-harmonics and octaves; all based on multiples. create a node: the sound created will be the same tone as its harmonic, but the harmonic may be octaves higher depending on the instrument.
-fundamental frequency= lowest vibrating note. this is the one we hear primarily, amidst the range of harmonics (octaves as well as non octaves) that are actually there (overtones).

IMPRECISE DIVISIONS CAUSING EVEN THE SLIGHTEST INACCURACY MERELY INTERFERE WITH THE TRAVELING OF THE SOUND WAVES.
-explain how sound stops

"The harmonic series is an arithmetic series (1×f, 2×f, 3×f, 4×f, 5×f, ...). In terms of frequency (measured in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz) where f is the fundamental frequency), the difference between consecutive harmonics is therefore constant and equal to the fundamental. But because our ears respond to sound nonlinearly, we perceive higher harmonics as "closer together" than lower ones. On the other hand, the octave series is a geometric progression (2×f, 4×f, 8×f, 16×f, ...), and we hear these distances as "the same" in the sense of musical interval. In terms of what we hear, each octave in the harmonic series is divided into increasingly "smaller" and more numerous intervals." -Wikipedia
^I'll explain this verbally and with visual aid~ (:

cartharsis.

self-assignment number one: a drawing a day keeps art block away.

(since this is to be my professional blog of sorts, even if temporary, i'm going to utilize it for my interests and the things that i take seriously.) the image above is a thumbnail. click to view fullsize! when i have accumulated enough 'sketches' i will likely compose an online gallery anyhow.

what is a catharsis?
a catharsis is an emotional purging of sorts which allows us to process our thoughts steadily and examine our lives in a logical manner.
i basically have to catharsize everyday in some form; from now on it'll be shown here in the form of rough digital paintings, and, occasionally, words.

enjoy if you can. it's peacock-esque, no?

interview between Madame Jalilvand and an Aspiring Artiste.

Q- "Why do people hate math?"

A- It gets harder as time passes and we learn more. For every thing that we learn about math, there are at least two new necessary concepts presented, which are even more difficult to understand than the last. Total understanding is always just barely out of reach-- and for some people, like myself, who process things carefully and think through things more slowly than the norm, it tends to be pretty far out there-- not just barely but by a high degree.

Q- "Do you like or hate math and why? (before Booker T and after); How can math education improve?"

Like I said, it's not like most other things, which become easier and more pleasurable as we progress. Instead it only becomes more complex. This makes it unusually frustrating, as it always has been for me. However, that only makes it all the more pleasing when I do get something right or master a new aspect of the subject. It has a special kind of satisfaction to it. That being said, I have always had sort of a love-hate relationship with math. But because of the high expectations placed on my head by both parents and peers, I have always found myself leaning more to the 'hate' side of the line. If the educational system were more patient with the needs and unique paces of individuals, math would be a much less nervewracking thing for the students to work through and accept as a part of life.

Q- "Do you think math is important for 'artists'?"

Only minorly. While many would like to take the 'intellectual' route and say, "Yes, most certainly! Musicians count, dancers measure, painters use perspective!", I have to admit that my true opinion is quite contrasting. Musicians do count, but probably on a first grade-esque level if anything, to be honest. Also, it is something done almost entirely in the subconscious. Dancers do measure, but to my knowledge, not always precisely nor extensively. I would go into more detail about this, but because I've had limited experience with dancing and it is not my area of expertise, it would be hard and fruitless to explain my views on its mathemetics. Visual artists do use perspective, but again, it is something that one tends to put into place by way of guidelines which seem aesthetically correct; in addition, of course, simply to close daily observation of the way the world appears around us. The only career that comes to mind in which precise calculations are necessary relating to art is if one wishes to be a construction worker or designer. But, while the ideas behind the making of those things are certainly an artistic affair, it is debatable just how artistic at heart the profession truly remains once you get into the measuring and constructing aspects themselves... and etc. It is a belief of mine that the purest and most spiritual form of art is not made in calculated perfection by human standards, but rather as the soul guides the hand to do what it feels to be right. When an individual can look at something which he or she has created and be at peace with their work, whether or not the world agrees with him or her, then it can truly be considered a masterpiece.

[A thought: Perhaps I do not enjoy math, because equally, I do not like to be told I'm wrong. I have the feeling that this may be true for young minds all over the world.]

Realistic Algebra

Lately I've learned a lot more about how to use algebra for practical data functioning. Correlations can go beyond y=x, y=mx+b and the similar simple parents; while a simple solid line can predict the direction in which a trend is moving, data presented in a scatterplot is often a much more logical basis for predictions. Because each set of information falls on a point which is not yet governed by a trend or equation, it can all be studied afterwards collectively. So, for example, while a parabola (or a function laid out precisely by the parent y=x^2) shows a perfectly curved line, the graph of a curvilinear scatterplot will show data as it actually falls into place, so that one can see where certain pieces stray from the viewer's expectations. Likewise, a scatterplot won't lie to you that a certain set of data will rise by the same degree over a certain period of time in each and every single instance, whereas a simple diagonal line will tell otherwise. A perfect positive line graph can, in this way, be misleading, while a scatter plot will tell you that the trend thusfar may be a strong positive, but has some pitfalls as far as predictions are to be made. Using this methodology businesses can be better prepared to determine how to handle deals and situations in which a customer reacts differently to a certain product than the norm.

And we artists certainly are not the norm (:! For those times you've just got a little too much math on the brain, have a good laugh at data in general with this miscellaneous website full of funny real-life and nonsensical examples.

GRAPH JAM!