THE QUANTUM WORLD, LIKE MATHEMATICS, IS A-FLUTTER WITH MUSIC AND DANCING !! ♫ ♫♫♪ ♪============♪
The Music of the Spheres
Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician (6th century BC) spoke of what he called the “Music of the Spheres.” As a mathematician, Pythagoras was intrigued by music and the mathematical equations that undergirded the creation of music. He regarded the movement of the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets as a mystical expression of music. Because of his mystical and philosophical orientation he was inspired to explore the relationship between geometry, mathematics and music. String theorists are now proposing that the elementary particles of the sub-atomic world are a form or music; a “music of the quantum world” if you like. Professor Edward Witten is one of the greatest physicists of our time. His scientific brilliance has been frequently likened to the brilliance of Einstein. Witten is one of the founders of string theory and he has proposed the idea that each string vibrates at a different frequency and that each unique frequency determines what sort of sub-atomic particle it becomes. According to string theory, an elementary particle is not a point but a loop of vibrating string. Just like a violin or piano string, one of these “fundamental strings”has many different harmonics or forms of vibration. For a piano string, the harmonics consist of a basic note –such as middle C –and its higher overtones (one, two, or several octaves higher). The richness of music comes from the interplay of higher harmonics. Music played with a tuning fork, which produces only a basic note, sounds harsh to the human ear. In string theory, different harmonics correspond to different elementary particles. If string theory proves correct, all elementary particles –electrons, photons, neutrinos, quarks, and the rest –owe their existence to subtle differences in the vibrations of strings.
~ Phil Mason
Quantum Glory
The Science of Heaven Invading Earth