Fall 2004 Meeting of the Southern California/Nevada Section of the Mathematical Association of America

October 10,

UNLV, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Mathematical Elegance of the Acoustic Guitar

Rebecca Head, Professor of Mathematics, Bakersfield College

When I enrolled in the beginning guitar class at Bakersfield College, I did not intend to increase my mathematical knowledge. As a mathematician, however, I could not ignore the frequent occurrence of patterns and shapes. Indeed, from fractions to eigenvalues, music is a way to listen to numbers.

Bakersfield College Mathematics Faculty

Left to right: Donna Starr, Rick Brantley, Tom Greenwood, Becky Head, Mike Moretti, Mary Jo Anhalt, Pat Serpa, Arnie Andrasian, Thomas Mieh, and Christy Haycock. Not pictured but in attendance: Rob Parsons