Can guitar frets perform multiplication?
An author explores the mathematical relationship between musical fret spacing and logarithmic slide rules. The piece questions the accuracy of a book cover illustration that suggests guitar frets can be used for multiplication.
Why it matters
It bridges the gap between music theory and mathematics, offering a unique perspective on how logarithmic scales appear in both physical instruments and historical calculating tools.
I’m sure that some pictures are worth a thousand words, but others trigger a whole lot of puzzlement. Such was the case with the cover of a book I recently bought entitled Calculating with Tones: The Logarithmic Logic of Music :
This book was published by the Oughtred Society , an organization named in honor of William Oughtred, the Anglican clergyman and mathematician who is credited with inventing the first logarithmic slide rule around 1622. The Oughtred Society was founded in 1991, “dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other calculating instruments.” Their website contains a wealth of useful information on the subject.
Although the Oughtred Society website still has a page dedicated to this book , they don’t seem to be selling it at this time, and a second edition is not available directly through the society.
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