The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe

273 Pages·2016·6.63 MB·English

by  Stephon Alexander

MORE ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
THE JAZZ OF PHYSICS
“Whether he’s hanging with Brian Eno or Brian Greene, Alexander
never loses sight of the math or the melodies, never condescends to
his reader, but rather uses his own childlike awe and personal charm to
take us into the details of chords and equations. It’s impossible to resist
following him as he ‘solos with the equations of D-branes’ on paper
napkins in jazz clubs, searching for the eloquent underlying harmonies
that brought the universe (and us) into being.”
— K. C. Cole, author of Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens and
Th e Universe and the Teacup: Th e Mathematics of Truth and Beauty
“Music, physics, and mathematics have lived in tune since Pythagoras
and Kepler, but Stephon Alexander’s book creates a new and powerful
resonance, coupling the improvisational world of jazz to the volatile
personality of quantum mechanics, and making the frontiers of cos-
mology and quantum gravity reverberate like in no other book.”
— João Magueijo, professor of physics, Imperial College London,
and author of Faster Th an the Speed of Light
“Th e Jazz of Physics is a cornucopia of music, string theory, and cosmol-
ogy. Stephon Alexander takes his reader on a journey through hip hop,
jazz, to new ideas in our understanding of the fi rst moment of the big
bang. It is a book fi lled with passion, joy, and insight.”
— David Spergel, Charles Young Professor of Astronomy and department
chair, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University
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T H E J A Z Z O F P H Y S I C S
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THE SECRET LINK BETWEEN
MUSIC AND THE STRUCTURE
OF THE UNIVERSE
T H E
J A Z Z
O F
P H Y S I C S
S T E P H O N A L E X A N D E R
A Member of Perseus Books Group
New York
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Copyright © 2016 by Stephon Alexander
Published by Basic Books,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information,
contact Basic Books, 250 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10107.
Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases
in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more
information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books
Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-
4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
Set in 11.5-point Adobe Garamond Pro
Names: Alexander, Stephon, author.
Title: The jazz of physics : the secret link between music and the structure
of the universe / Stephon Alexander.
Description: New York : Basic Books, [2016] | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015050500| ISBN 9780465098507 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Cosmology. | Universe. | Special relativity (Physics) | Space
and time. | Musicology. | Music—Acoustics and physics. |
Music—Philosophy and aesthetics.
Classification: LCC QB981 .A54 2016 | DDC 523.1—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015050500
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to my parents, Felician and Keith,
and my daughter Kolka
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CONTENTS
Introduction 1
1 Giant Steps 11
2 Lessons from Leon 27
3 All Rivers Lead to Cosmic Structure 41
4 Beauty on Trial 51
5 Pythagorean Dream 69
6 Eno, the Sound Cosmologist 85
7 Th riving on a Riff 93
8 Th e Ubiquity of Vibration 101
9 Th e Defi ant Physicists 117
10 Th e Space We Live In 125
11 Sonic Black Hole 137
12 Th e Harmony of Cosmic Structure 145
13 A Journey into Mark Turner’s Quantum Brain 159
14 Feynman’s Jazz Pattern 171
15 Cosmic Resonance 179
vii
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