Comments on: The moduli space of chords: Dmitri Tymoczko on “Geometry and Music”, Friday 7 Mar, 2:30pm http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/the-moduli-space-of-chords-dmitri-tymoczko-on-geometry-and-music-friday-7-mar-230pm/ Math, Madison, food, the Orioles, books, my kid. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:47:58 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: mclaren http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/the-moduli-space-of-chords-dmitri-tymoczko-on-geometry-and-music-friday-7-mar-230pm/#comment-3110 mclaren Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:43:55 +0000 http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/?p=204#comment-3110 We can tell whether an hypothesis involves genuine science by asking: "What evidence would be required to disconfirm this hypothesis?" In this case, we have some pretty looking pictures, and some math, and the implicit claim that the prettiness of the graphs somehow relates to the prettiness of the music. Alas, the prettiness of the graphs remains a subjective question which cannot be resolved with double-blind experiments...as does the prettiness of the music. So there's clearly no testable scientific hypothesis here. That being the case, we have something that uses the language of science (mathematics) and looks like science (plenty of equations and scientific jargon), but isn't actually science. What do we call something like that? <a HREF="http://skepdic.com/pseudosc.html" rel="nofollow">Three guesses.</A> Music theory boasts a long history of such escapades. You might find intriguing Sorbonne Professor Laurent Fichet's 1996 book <I> Les théories scientifiques de la musique: XIXčme et XXčme sičcles </I>, Libraire J. Vrin, Paris, 1996. (Scientific Theories of the 19th and 20th centuries.) Alas, it's only available in French, but well worth reading. The review by David Perrott <a HREF="http://mto.societymusictheory.org/issues/mto.99.5.4/mto.current" rel="nofollow">hits the high points.</A> We can tell whether an hypothesis involves genuine science by asking: “What evidence would be required to disconfirm this hypothesis?”

In this case, we have some pretty looking pictures, and some math, and the implicit claim that the prettiness of the graphs somehow relates to the prettiness of the music. Alas, the prettiness of the graphs remains a subjective question which cannot be resolved with double-blind experiments…as does the prettiness of the music.

So there’s clearly no testable scientific hypothesis here. That being the case, we have something that uses the language of science (mathematics) and looks like science (plenty of equations and scientific jargon), but isn’t actually science. What do we call something like that?

Three guesses.

Music theory boasts a long history of such escapades. You might find intriguing Sorbonne Professor Laurent Fichet’s 1996 book
Les théories scientifiques de la musique: XIXčme et XXčme sičcles
, Libraire J. Vrin, Paris, 1996. (Scientific Theories of the 19th and 20th centuries.) Alas, it’s only available in French, but well worth reading. The review by David Perrott hits the high points.

]]> By: rezo http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/the-moduli-space-of-chords-dmitri-tymoczko-on-geometry-and-music-friday-7-mar-230pm/#comment-2404 rezo Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:27:22 +0000 http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/?p=204#comment-2404 Nice works ! keep trying to interpreted !!! Because there still a lot of secret in this universe!!! Nice works ! keep trying to interpreted !!! Because there still a lot of secret in this universe!!!

]]> By: The moduli space of senators and the moduli space of movies « Quomodocumque http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/the-moduli-space-of-chords-dmitri-tymoczko-on-geometry-and-music-friday-7-mar-230pm/#comment-1931 The moduli space of senators and the moduli space of movies « Quomodocumque Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:36:36 +0000 http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/?p=204#comment-1931 [...] moduli space of senators and the moduli space of movies 04Mar08 Last week I blogged about Dmitri Tymoczko’s lecture and the moduli space of chords; since then I remembered some more nice examples of “moduli spaces” in the loose sense [...] [...] moduli space of senators and the moduli space of movies 04Mar08 Last week I blogged about Dmitri Tymoczko’s lecture and the moduli space of chords; since then I remembered some more nice examples of “moduli spaces” in the loose sense [...]

]]> By: Daniel http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/the-moduli-space-of-chords-dmitri-tymoczko-on-geometry-and-music-friday-7-mar-230pm/#comment-1920 Daniel Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:38:53 +0000 http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/?p=204#comment-1920 Haha, it's amusing to see a piece that you've played looks like on a Mobius strip. Haha, it’s amusing to see a piece that you’ve played looks like on a Mobius strip.

]]> By: John Cowan http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/the-moduli-space-of-chords-dmitri-tymoczko-on-geometry-and-music-friday-7-mar-230pm/#comment-1912 John Cowan Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:48:09 +0000 http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/?p=204#comment-1912 The name "moduli space" really grates. Normally in English we don't have plural components in noun compounds (other than the last noun, of course): since "moduli" is the plural of "modulus", "moduli space" sounds as bad to me as "insects eater" instead of "insect eater" for a creature that eats insects. (There are a few exceptions, like "enemies list", to be sure.) The name “moduli space” really grates. Normally in English we don’t have plural components in noun compounds (other than the last noun, of course): since “moduli” is the plural of “modulus”, “moduli space” sounds as bad to me as “insects eater” instead of “insect eater” for a creature that eats insects. (There are a few exceptions, like “enemies list”, to be sure.)

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