Uniting the mysterious worlds of quantum physics and music | Aeon Essays

Was musing upon a graphic recently, and remembering that a Chemistry prof told me that each atom has its own "color" because each has its own frequency. The graphic matches up frequencies with musical tones . . . don't know if the colors match the frequencies too.

So when this article about "Quantum Music" was in my FB feed recently, I had to read it. It adds an additional very interesting layer to the frequency/tone/color way of thinking.

The brief intro sentence brought to mind Arabic/Turkish/Egyptian music of course and Chinese music when dissonance is mentioned - given that the scales sound different to "western" ears - even dissonant. Although, I have found the dissonance usually has a point - like getting from point A to point B, lol:

"Physics has long looked to harmony to explain the beauty of the Universe. But what if dissonance yields better insights?"

The start of the article is below . . . it sort of mirrors the dubious thought I had when reading the title. But it actually is a good article - also gets as technical as some may have an interest in, or not, in terms of quantum physics further into the article.

"Quantum physics is weird and counterintuitive. For this reason, the word ‘quantum’ has become shorthand for anything powerful or mystical, whether or not it has anything whatsoever to do with quantum mechanics. As a quantum physicist, I’ve developed a reflexive eyeroll upon hearing the word applied to anything outside of physics. It’s used to describe homeopathy, dishwasher detergents and deodorant.

If I hadn’t first heard of Quantum Music from a well-respected physicist, I would have scoffed the same way I did at the other ridiculous uses of the word. But coming from Klaus Mølmer it was intriguing. [. . .]"