Textbook in PDF format

This textbook is written for a very specific purpose and audience: It serves as a breadth requirement for a general education program at the college level for non-science majors. It is also suitable for an introductory course at the high school level. Music is an excellent medium to introduce physics to novice scientists, as it provides an intuitive understanding of the physics of waves. While there are no mathematical derivations in the text, labs are provided to verify every concept and equation. The book is not restricted to purely musical topics. Each topic is carefully chosen to relate to broader principles applicable to other areas of physics or technology. This is not meant to be a highly technical treatise on sound and musical instruments. Rather, it shows deep connections between waves and many areas of modern physics to make the text engaging and relevant to the students.
Dedication
Preface
Introduction: Purpose and Scope of the Textbook
Waves and the Language of Physics
Pitch, Loudness, Timbre
Units, Graphs, Formulas
Dependencies: Qualitative and Quantitative
Problems
Melodic Instruments and the Origins of Music and Science
Neanderthal Flutes and Greek Lyres
Pythagorean Intervals
Vibrating Strings
Pythagorean Scales
Space-Time Connection
Air Columns and Boundary Conditions
Music of the Spheres and the Lessons of Pythagoras
New Scales and the Development of Western Harmony
Problems
Non-Melodic Instruments: Non-Harmonic and 2D Systems
Vibrating Bars and Non-linear Dependencies
Overtone Series, Addition of Waves, and Tone Quality
Dimensional Acoustic Cavities
Cavity Mode Diagrams
Spectroscopy, Modern Physics, and Music of the Spheres
Problems
Waves and Interference
General Properties of Waves
Constructive and Destructive Interference
Interference in Reflections
Interference Patterns
Interference in Time: Beats
Light Waves
Problems
Applications: Feedback and the Doppler Shift
Gain and Feedback
Applications of Feedback
The Doppler Effect
Sonic Booms and Shock Waves
Problems
Psychoacoustics: Consonance and Dissonance
Structure of the Ear and Pitch Perception
Critical Bandwidth and Just Noticeable Difference
Pure Tones, Consonance and Dissonance
Complex Tones, Fourier Analysis, and the Missing Fundamental
Difference Tones
Problems
Appendix: Companion Laboratories for The Music of Physics
Bibliography
Index