Music is an almost universal cultural phenomenon, but we’re only able to enjoy it thanks to the physical properties of sound and the world we live on. In association with the landmark docuseries For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music, this evening will take a look at some unique physics of sound through two short talks.

Acclaimed science writer Philip Ball will ask, is our musical scale just a matter of physics? Is it a bunch of arbitrary decisions or is it defined by the harmonic series and by perfect ratios of frequencies? Can you determine a different temperament just by ear?

Physicist, oceanographer and 2020 Christmas Lecturer Helen Czerski will be talking about the unique way sound works in an underwater environment, and how on a recent field trip to Africa she worked with locals using the science of acoustics to protect hippopotamuses and their underwater conversations.

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