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The Sound of Mathematics

It has been known since antiquity that there are simple “harmonic” relationships between notes that sound appealing together. This lecture introduces the mathematics of pitch, scales, and just temperament. The pitch of a sound is not its only important property.

The Mathematics of Musical Composition

Pattern and structure are essential to music, from the permutations in a Bach fugue, to the structure of a round.

The Mathematics of Bell Ringing

This lecture will look at change ringing, which is ringing a series of tuned bells (as you might find in the bell tower of a church) in a particular sequence, and this has exciting mathematical properties. We will also ask: why are bells bell-shaped?

500 Years of Mathematics: Are We Living in a New Golden Age?

The last 500 years of progress in maths will be reviewed, to see where it is going next and ask whether we are truly living in a mathematical Golden Age.

Much Ado About Numbers: Shakespeare’s Mathematical Life and Times

Shakespeare lived in a period of exciting mathematical innovations –...

Bach’s Invention: The Divine Trickery of J.S. Bach

Behind the sublime precision and expressive power of Bach’s music...

The Mathematical World of C. L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)

This illustrated lecture and book launch will attempt to answer these questions by outlining his mathematical life, labours and legacy in the context of Victorian Oxford.