Harmony is one of the elemental building blocks that makes up music. This episode explores the science behind harmony and presents research that shows how the brain responds to harmony in music.
Example of mathematics in certain sounds:
"A tuba tends to vibrate at a set of frequencies that are mathematically related by whole number ratios. When a pencil is dropped on the floor, it vibrates with a number of frequencies, producing a complex sound wave that is noisy...this object will vibrate at a set of frequencies that have no simple mathematical relationship between them." -PhysicsClassroom.com
Tuba: 200Hz, 400Hz, 600Hz, 800Hz, 1000Hz
Dropped Pencil: 197Hz, 211Hz, 217Hz, 219Hz, 287Hz, 311Hz, 329Hz, 399Hz
Research Reference: Physical Review Letters, DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.108103
Web Reference: NewScientist.com, Why Harmony Pleases the Brain