MCS Department Seminar 3/10 – Ami Radunskaya

On Wednesday, March 10th, at 2:30pm, we are excited to welcome Dr. Ami Radunskaya from Pomona College to give a virtual seminar talk about how her love of music has influenced her work in mathematics. The title and abstract are included below, and the Zoom information can be obtained by emailing mklynn@gustavus.edu.

We are extra excited to welcome Dr. Radunskaya, as she is one of the mathematicians featured in the book “Power of Numbers” by Talithia Williams, which is being read by the new MCS book group this semester.

Title: On the scale of one to infinity: why I listen to mathematics.

Abstract: Music has been a tremendous influence in my life, including my mathematical life. It turns out that many mathematical constructs can be manifested as sounds! The visual palette is three dimensional, or four if you include color; in some ways, the sonic palette is richer. Our ears can perceive along many axes, including pitch, loudness, timbre, harmonic complexity and time. How could you better understand your mathematical problem by hearing it, as well as seeing it? For example, why is the “harmonic” series called by this name? Can we hear that the harmonic series diverges? Did you know we can “listen” to a dynamical system in order to understand its structure? Some features of common functions are better heard than seen! Together, we will explore the “route to chaos” via graphs and sounds, with live demonstrations.