Imagination.

Does scientist create a new theory out of math or imagination?

Initially, i thought it's the upmost important for a scientist to good in maths and derivations stuff, such as how to derive a new equations and stuff like that.. But after a further thought, i feel that it's more important to imagine than to derive ike a rationalist, though it doesn't mean that math is not important..

Faraday discovered electromagnetism, found the relationship between electricity and magnetism by imagination, not derived it out of math (although math did help). Einstein discovered relativity theorem when he imagine a situation where speed is close to speed of light. Of course, math did help. Also, John Dalton, J.J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford and James Chadwick's contribution in atomic models is out of imagination as well. Etc..

So, it's like... driven out of imagination, using math as a tool, a new theory can be formed. Imagination>Theory>New stuff. Maybe music works in this way also...

What about pure math?? Since what we observed is kind of... uncertain, as what we see in quantum physics. Hence some scientist try to derive everything out of pure logic, such as string theory!

Psychoaucoustic, my view.

Sometimes ago, I saw a documentary on Art Central-a TV channel of Singapore. It’s about music. It states, at the end of the show, that human tends to feel happier or ‘high’ if listen to loud music, such as live music. Around 90~110dB, if I’m not mistaken. But, it has its own limit, that’s it, if higher than 110dB, it’ll actually cause uncomfortable situation, or vomit.

And personally, I feel that human likes to listen to far separated frequencies, and as well not a repeated melody. For example, arpeggios (classical), octave (jazz), pentatonic (blues and rock) and tension notes (jazz/ big band). The song ‘Etude in C# major-Chopin’ is so so nice, and it’s a typical piano piece that runs from lowest to highest note of piano within seconds. Other classical songs show this characteristic as well. For some fast songs like ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee’ makes us feel happy as well. In this case, the separation between two ‘far’ frequencies still occurs, just that it’s taking a longer path.

Secondly, human likes both high and low frequencies. Such as when listening to U2 songs, the band plays a motif of high pitched effects generated guitar licks, almost for all the songs. Feels nice, not bored. It feels a bit like breaking the harmony of a classical composing style, but it brings the audience to another level of enjoyment. Many bands use this technique. For solos, the same technique applies, such as how Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai play. Why is this so? Some says human ear is more sensitive to mid range frequencies (1kHz). Hence, when we hear something in full range, with bass and treble boosted, it’ll cause itself to appear full. Let’s think if a Mozart masterpiece or Glenn Miller’s big band is recorded without bass and treble (mid boosting), how’ll it sound like?