Pi Day: mathematics and music

Celebration of Pi Day
The official "birthplace" of Pi Day is San Francisco Exploratorium, now there is even webpage Pi Day.
Besides eating a lot of pies on Pi Day, may be healthier is to listen how Pi sounds.

What Pi sounds like:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YOQb_mtkEEE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This is violin music for Pi:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/whG11u457fo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

NPR explains how to transform number Pi into song.

Mathematics and music are connected not only through the Pi.
Some time ago pianist Stephen Hough visited Ithaca and it was a wonderful performance. I treasure his CD "Complete Chopin Waltzes".  I was surprised to learn that he is also interested in connections between mathematics and music.

I noticed this TED talk on gizmodo.com because of the title, of course -
only a mathematician could love the world's uggliest music..

Another resource for Music and Math - The Maths of Music

On YouTube there is a quite a number of "Math songs" - for example
Algebra and Calculus or Getting Triggy with it - math rap song.

Happy Pi Day!

mathematics and politics in Russia

While in US students are taking a theoretical course (there is even possible to major in mathematics and politics), Russians are already aplying mathematics to politics.As Rusia prepares for elections tomorrow some interesting pictures how math is used in political banners in Russia (from http://www.scienceblogs.de/mathlog/2011/12/demonstrieren-fur-die-normalverteilung-1.php)

We are for normal distribution!

                                                  You cann't fool Gauss!


Gauss distribution was quite popular - even formula on a banner here

Pictures from demonstration in Moscow December 12, 2011

I guess Russian schools are still keeping up with math while US still have to deall with "No Child Left Behind"....

(from http://vegasvalleyview.blogspot.com/)

When I choose to become a math major one of the reasons was that mathematics and politics seemed to be the most apart. I did not know about Mathematics and Politics in the Soviet Union 1928-1953

Also there have been mathematicians in politics. There are more famous people who majored in mathematics (or at least attempted...)