TED Talk — May 11, 2016 — Music & Math

May 11, 2016

Program still in development.

Mathematician Scott Rickard sets out to engineer the ugliest possible piece of music, devoid of repetition, using a mathematical concept known as the Costas Array. In this surprisingly entertaining talk, he shares the math behind musical beauty … and its opposite.


Ready to dance in your seat? Drummer Clayton Cameron breaks down different genres of music—from R&B to Latin to pop—by their beats. A talk that proves hip hop and jazz aren’t cooler than math—they simply rely on it.