Portland Public Library

The jazz of physics, the secret link between music and the structure of the universe, Stephon Alexander

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The jazz of physics

bibliography

920018217

Stephon Alexander

the secret link between music and the structure of the universe

"A theoretical physicist and jazz musician combines his two loves to present a new theory of the universe: sound as the link between Einstein's relativity with quantum mechanics, "--Amazon.com"More than fifty years ago, John Coltrane drew the twelve musical notes in a circle and connected them by straight lines, forming a five-pointed star. Inspired by Einstein, Coltrane put physics and geometry at the core of his music. Physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander follows suit, using jazz to answer physics' most vexing questions about the past and future of the universe. Following the great minds that first drew the links between music and physics--a list including Pythagoras, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and Rakim--The Jazz of Physics reveals that the ancient poetic idea of the Music of the Spheres, taken seriously, clarifies confounding issues in physics. The Jazz of Physics will fascinate and inspire anyone interested in the mysteries of our universe, music, and life itself."--Back cover

Giant steps -- Lessons from Leon -- All rivers lead to cosmic structure -- Beauty on trial -- Pythagorean dream -- Eno, the sound cosmologist -- Thriving on a riff -- The ubiquity of vibration -- The defiant physicists -- The space we live in -- Sonic black hole -- The harmony of cosmic structure -- A journey into Mark Turner's quantum brain -- Feynman's jazz pattern -- Cosmic resonance -- The beauty of noise -- The musical universe -- Interstellar space