Mathematics is the music of reason

A man from Tamil Nadu in medieval India was good in mathematics. He was called upon for further studies to renowned UK university. His papers took entire world by the storm. From solving equations of highly complex nature, which were difficult for the entire scientist community to solve back then, he solved them with ease. He was none other than Ramanujan. When asked how did you come up with solution? He would simply say, "God gave me the answer." Indeed mathematics is the language (music) of Gods.

Physicist HC Verma beautifully articulated the relation between Physics and Mathematics. Physics is the destination but which mode of transport you take is mathematics. You reach there by bullock cart or train or airplane, is all means of math. To prove your Physics laws, it takes a route of equations. Any assumption taken requires a proof. It is not a law but mere theory until it backed by two things. One is mathematical proof and other an experiment to showcase.

But does mathematics means mere equations, nothing beyond that? What is even reasoning? Why math is equated to music? Mathematics is definitely not mean equations alone. It is more than that. It is a form of expression. Just like music carries sound of the nature, math carries feelings of laws of nature. Music is nature speaking to us, while math is laws of nature speaking to us. A bird chirping is music but it's frequency, amplitude, pitch are all part of mathematical reasoning.

Reasoning is a core part of Homo sapiens. They tend to question everything they come across. To justify and come up with a logical answer, it requires a mathematical backing. Say, why does a guitar sounds joyful? It is because the distance of chords, amplitude of wave in the wooden boxed guitar creates stationary waves. Producing a soft sound for ears. Same might not be true for chalk screeching on blackboard. It's highly out of sync musical tone.

Music acts as a language to understand different ideas. During the Buddha period in 5th century BCE, there was highly stratified society. He attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and gave simplest of ideas of- 'suffering is inevitable'. To overcome He gave 'ashtamarga' an eightfold path. It was important to preach these ideas not in Sanskrit, language of high caste, but in Pali language. It was the music of commoners and downtrodden back then. Music can serves as a bridge between any two prospects, wether animate or inanimate. Exchange of ideas take place through music.

It is said that ideas can change the world or have a potential to do so. One person to do so was Isaac Newton. He simply put up an equation F= m x a , where F is the force acting on the mass (m) generating an acceleration (a). This mathematical equation revolutionised the world. Our day to day activities would not have been possible without this. This solved for the reasoning from rockets in space to a school bus, from cricket ball hit for a six to a child riding a cycle. Indeed mathematics (equation) is the music (language) of reason.

Though the equation seems of just 3 alphabets, but it has more depth to it. It is all encompassing in nature. Which is the case with most of mathematics. These 3 alphabets speaks what a whole paragraph laden words in a  1000 page novel can't explain. Such is the length and breadth of this beautiful musical language. This is the exact reason why mathematics is actually equated to music. Both hitting right at the very centre of the issue.

Another reasoning came up during the period of Nazi Germany. Albert Einstein fled from his native place. To stop the persecution of Jews in the world. He said to have given the famous equation E=mc^2 to Americans. Simply put this equation allowed the built up of Atomic Bomb, project named Manhattan project. However, it ended the world war but shook the humankind from the disasters at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Such is the extend of mathematics. It depends on the leader at the helm, how he utilises the music of it. He could make their life happy by creating a melody out of it, or he can blatantly deaf the ears by creating a loud music out of it.

Einstein has also given a General Theory of Relativity in start of 20th century. Mathematical proofs for the existence of Black Holes and Gravitational waves. It was only after a century same was corroborated by LIGO- detecting of gravitational waves. And few years back Event Horizon Space telescope took a picture of Saggittarus A*, centre of our milkyway galaxy. Universe speaks (music) in the language of mathematics to provide the concrete reasons.

Even history is filled with such examples. Construction of Egyptian Pyramids is still researched. How were they able to come up with such engineering marvelous. Similar is the case with Dravidan temples with such huge 'shikharas' (top layered part). Jantar mantar in various parts of the country shows how valued mathematics was back in time. Focused heavily on it to provide bedrock reasoning.

Invention of '0' to decimal system was given by Aryabhatta in 6th century CE. It was during Gupta empire, referred to it as Golden Age. It marked rich literature, rock cut architecture, etc. One that stands out is Iron Pillar of Delhi. It is astounding to know that it has not been rusted even after more than thousands of years. It was bound to happen because the period was marked by their logical in approch. Reasoning allowed new ideas to prop up. Fuelling further ideas to building of world renowned Nalanda University. Art (music) of reasoning was the backbone of it.

World is not always to open such diametrically oppposite ideas. Copernicus tried to propose that earth was not the centre of universe but sun was. Orthodox church could not take the change. Threatened his life. Similar was the case with Galileo Galilei. So how does one convince such non-moulding society? Their belief will never change. Or it might decades for the society to accept the same. Today India preparing to study Sun via Aditya-L1 mission. Global society has come this far only because mathematics were able to convince otherwise, which was earlier rejected by the church.

But why mathematics is equated to music? Why not geography or drama, but specifically to music? It might be because music is soothing to ear, similarly mathematics is logical to brain. Music caters to emotional component, mathematics caters to rationale component. Music provides reason for the person to exist, mathematics provides proof for the very existence of the universe. Music is universal and breaks the language barrier to be felt, mathematics is the language of music itself.

When tones of mathematics hit right world hears "sarre jahan se accha Hindustan humara" by Rakesh Sharma. But when there is a kink in mathematics world hears explosion of Kalpana Chawla's spacecraft near ground. When the mathematical music notes are low we see disasters such as Atomic bombing to cold war. But when the mathematical music notes are high we see Aryabhatta to Ramanujan to Rakesh Sharma.