The UVM Department of Mathematics and Statistics is proud to present the Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium:

I heard there was a secret chord…

with Neal Bushaw
Virginia Commonwealth University

Friday, April 25
3:30 PM-4:30PM
Innovation Hall, Room E105

Abstract: What is a musical chord, to a discrete mathematician? What about a scale, or a rhythm? In this talk, we explore these (and other) mathematical versions of musical notions, with a focus on problems that seem like combinatorics. How many scales or chords are there with some specified property? How can we measure a scale, chord, or rhythm? Can we enumerate all chords (and thus find Cohen’s Secret Chord along the way)? Can we use any of this to make drum machines? We’ll see surprising connections between these musical notions, and glimpse the tip of a mathematical iceberg which began with the study of wealth inequality by Muirhead and Lorenz in the early twentieth century, and which was later expanded by mathematical titans Schur, Littlewood, Hardy, and Polyá. This talk includes joint work with Viktoriya Bardenova, Brent Cody, Paul Fay, Luke Freeman, Chris Leffler, Maya Tennant, and Toby Whitaker. This talk is intended for a general audience – no background in either music theory or combinatorics is expected!