The Jazz of Physics:
The Secret Link between Music and the Structure of the Universe
by Stephon Alexander
QB981 .A54 2016
New Arrivals, 2nd floor
John Coltrane combined physics and geometry with music over 50 years ago and now Stephon Alexander is doing the same with physics and jazz. The melding of these spheres actually goes back as far as Pythagoras and includes other brilliant scientists such as Albert Einstein, all inspirations to Alexander. Jazz musician and theoretical physicist Alexander uses his keen abilities to improvise and explore to discover the connection between the fundamental waves of sound and those of everything else. He uses jazz as an analogy when explaining the process of discovery in theoretical physics research, from the tiny quantum world to our much larger universe. The book explores modern physics, relativistic cosmology, and music theory through the eye of an expert, but in the language of the common person. There are some, perhaps complex, equations, but in the words of the author, “I encourage you to skip [them] and continue reading” if you don’t get them.
Watch Stephon Alexander speak about The Jazz of Physics on TEDx Talks, TEDxSanDiego (16:35)
