音乐和数学是双胞胎?/Are Music and Math Twins?
先别急着拍手,我们先把刚才的“魔术”拆开看看——你刚才拍手打的节拍,其实藏着分数的小秘密;你听到的音高高低,其实就是振动速度的“翻译官”哦!
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📌 互动小任务:重新打一遍《小星星》的节奏
*Try It Yourself: Play the Rhythm of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Again* > 拿出你的小手,跟着下面的步骤做: > 1. 先匀速拍手4下,嘴里数“1、2、3、4”,每下间隔1秒,这就是基础的4/4拍,也就是“每小节4拍,四分音符唱1拍” > 2. 再试一下每2下拍一次,数“1、2、1、2”,每下间隔2秒,这就是2/4拍,是很多进行曲的节拍哦 > 3. 最后回到4/4拍,边拍手边唱《小星星》的第一句:“一(拍)闪(拍)一(快拍半下)闪(快拍半下)亮(拍)晶(拍)晶”,是不是刚好和刚才的节奏对上?
::: info 小知识卡片 四分音符(Quarter Note) 是最常用的音符,它的时值(也就是唱/奏的时间)是1拍,长得像个小旗子,旗杆朝下; 八分音符(Eighth Note) 的时值是半拍,比四分音符多一个小尾巴,两个八分音符连起来,时长刚好等于1个四分音符。 In music, a quarter note lasts for 1 beat, and an eighth note lasts for half a beat. Two eighth notes equal one quarter note in length. :::
你有没有发现,刚才拍手的时候,你其实一直在做数学里的“除法”和“乘法”?4/4拍里的“4/4”,就是分数的意思:分母的4表示“1小节里有4个等份”,分子的4表示“每个等份是1拍”,也就是每小节有4拍。如果是3/4拍,就是每小节有3拍,就是我们常说的“华尔兹节拍”,跟着节奏走的话,就是“1、2、3、1、2、3”,像小天鹅跳舞一样晃三次~ 下次你听圆舞曲的时候,可以试着数一数拍子,是不是刚好3拍一小节?
如果觉得抽象,我们可以把所有儿歌的节拍都变成“数数游戏”:比如《两只老虎》的第一句“两只老虎跑得快”,刚好是4拍,每字1拍;《找朋友》的“敬个礼呀握握手”,也是4拍,后面“你是我的好朋友”加了两个快拍,刚好是两个八分音符。你看,你平时唱的所有儿歌,本质上都是“按着数学的节奏数数”呀!
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音高是振动的“翻译官”
*Pitch Is the “Translator” of Vibration*
刚才我们说了节拍和数数的关系,那音的高低呢?是不是也和数学有关?当然啦!你听到的每一个音,其实都是物体振动产生的,而音的高低,直接和物体振动的频率(frequency) 有关——频率就是物体每秒振动的次数,振动越快,频率越高,音就越高;振动越慢,频率越低,音就越低。科学家给频率起的单位叫“赫兹(Hz)”,就像“个”是计数的单位一样,1Hz就是每秒振动1次。
我们来做个超简单的实验,你家里肯定有这些东西: 1. 找一个空的纸盒(比如快递盒、饼干盒) 2. 找3根不一样的橡皮筋,最好是粗细、颜色都不一样 3. 把橡皮筋分别绷在纸盒的两端,就像下图那样
```mermaid graph TD A[准备纸盒+3根不同橡皮筋] --> B[把橡皮筋分别绷在纸盒两端] B --> C[拨动最粗的橡皮筋] C --> D[听到低沉的“咚”声] B --> E[拨动最细的橡皮筋] E --> F[听到尖尖的“叮”声] D --> G[粗橡皮筋振动慢→频率低→音高低] F --> H[细橡皮筋振动快→频率高→音高高] ```
你拨一下最粗的橡皮筋,是不是听到很低沉的声音?再拨最细的,是不是声音尖尖的?这就是因为粗橡皮筋的质量大,拨动之后振动得很慢,每秒振动的次数少,频率低,所以音高低;细橡皮筋质量小,振动得快,频率高,音就高。如果你把橡皮筋拉得紧一点,再拨,声音是不是会变高?因为拉紧之后橡皮筋更难振动,振动速度变快,频率变高,音就变高了~
你有没有发现,你说话的声音和爸爸妈妈不一样?男生的声音通常比女生低沉,就是因为男生的声带更长、更粗,说话的时候声带振动得更慢,频率更低,所以音更低;女生的声带更短更细,振动得更快,频率更高,所以音更高。你唱歌的时候,唱到高音会觉得声带绷得很紧,就是因为你要让声带振动得更快,频率变高,才能唱出高音哦!
我们来算个具体的数字吧:音乐里有个标准音,叫“中央C”,就是钢琴键盘上最中间的那个do,它的频率是$f = 261.63\ \text{Hz}$,也就是每秒振动261.63次,每次振动的时间(也就是周期$T$)是: $$T = \frac{1}{f} = \frac{1}{261.63} \approx 0.0038\ \text{秒}$$ 也就是每振动一次只要0.0038秒,比你眨一次眼(大概0.3秒)快80倍!你唱1秒的do,声带其实已经振动了260多次,是不是特别神奇?如果唱高音do,频率就是523.26Hz,每秒振动523次,是中央C的2倍,所以音高刚好高一个八度,这就是我们之前说的“双胞胎音”哦。
::: info 小知识卡片 除了弦乐器,管乐器的音高也和频率有关:笛子里的空气柱振动,空气柱越短,振动越快,频率越高,音越高;鼓是打击乐器,鼓面越大、越松,振动越慢,音越低,鼓面越小、越紧,振动越快,音越高。 The pitch of wind instruments also depends on frequency: the shorter the air column inside a flute, the faster it vibrates, the higher the frequency, and the higher the pitch. For drums, the larger and looser the drum surface, the slower it vibrates, the lower the pitch; the smaller and tighter the drum surface, the faster it vibrates, the higher the pitch. :::
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毕达哥拉斯的铁匠铺奇遇
*Pythagoras’s Adventure at the Blacksmith’s Shop*
你可能会问:谁第一个发现音乐和数学的关系呀?这就要提到2000多年前古希腊的一个数学家,叫毕达哥拉斯(Pythagoras),他可是“音乐数学”的鼻祖哦!他提出的“万物皆数”理论,第一个就把音乐纳入了数学的范畴,甚至有人说,他是第一个用数学解释世界的人。
传说有一天,毕达哥拉斯路过一家铁匠铺,听到铁匠们敲铁的声音特别好听,有的声音很和谐,有的声音很刺耳。他很好奇,就停下来听,发现铁匠敲的铁锤重量不一样,发出的声音也不一样:两个重量比是2:1的铁锤,敲出来的声音特别和谐,就像do和高音do的关系;重量比是3:2的铁锤,敲出来的声音也很和谐,就像do和sol的关系;而重量比是1.2:1的铁锤,敲出来的声音就很刺耳。
```mermaid sequenceDiagram participant 毕达哥拉斯 Pythagoras participant 铁匠铺 Blacksmith's Shop participant 实验琴弦 Experimental Strings 毕达哥拉斯->>铁匠铺: 路过时听到和谐的敲铁声 铁匠铺-->>毕达哥拉斯: 不同重量的铁锤发出不同的音 毕达哥拉斯->>实验琴弦: 买来不同长度的琴弦做实验 实验琴弦-->>毕达哥拉斯: 弦长比2:1→音高差八度,3:2→音高差五度 毕达哥拉斯->>毕达哥拉斯: 发现音乐和谐度的秘密是“整数比” 毕达哥拉斯->>全世界: 提出“万物皆数”的理论,音乐也不例外 ```
回家之后,毕达哥拉斯用琴弦做了好多实验,发现:拨动两根绷得一样紧的琴弦,如果一根的长度是另一根的2倍,那么短的那根音高刚好是长的那根的2倍,也就是高八度,听起来特别和谐;如果长度比是
回家之后,毕达哥拉斯用琴弦做了好多实验,发现:拨动两根绷得一样紧的琴弦,如果一根的长度是另一根的2倍,那么短的那根音高刚好是长的那根的2倍,也就是高八度,听起来特别和谐;如果长度比是3:2,短弦的音高刚好是长弦的1.5倍,这就是我们常说的“五度关系”,比如do到sol,唱起来特别顺,就像《小星星》里“一(do)闪(sol)一(sol)闪(do)亮(mi)晶(sol)晶(do)”,开头两个音就是五度关系,所以一听就很熟悉;如果长度比是4:3,就是“四度关系”,比如do到fa,也是很多儿歌里常用的和谐音程。 After going home, Pythagoras did a lot of experiments with strings and found that: if you pluck two strings with the same tension, and one string is twice as long as the other, the shorter string has a pitch exactly twice as high as the longer one, which is an octave higher, and it sounds very harmonious; if the length ratio is 3:2, the pitch of the shorter string is exactly 1.5 times that of the longer string, which is what we often call a "perfect fifth", such as do to sol, which sounds very smooth, just like the first two notes of *Twinkle Twinkle Little Star* "Twi (do)inkle (sol) twi (sol)inkle (do) litt (mi)le (sol) star (do)", the first two notes are a fifth relationship, so it sounds very familiar at first listen; if the length ratio is 4:3, it is a "perfect fourth", such as do to fa, which is also a common harmonious interval in many nursery rhymes.
```mermaid sequenceDiagram participant 铁锤重量 Hammer Weight participant 琴弦长度 String Length participant 振动频率 Vibration Frequency participant 音高 Pitch participant 和谐度 Harmony 铁锤重量->>振动频率: 重量比2:1→频率比2:1 琴弦长度->>振动频率: 长度比2:1→频率比2:1 振动频率->>音高: 频率越高,音越高 振动频率->>和谐度: 频率比为整数比→和谐,非整数比→刺耳 音高->>和谐度: 八度(2:1)、五度(3:2)、四度(4:3)最和谐 ```
为什么整数比的声音就和谐?/Why Do Integer Ratios Sound Harmonious?
你可能会问:为什么频率比是整数就和谐,不是就刺耳呀?我们来玩个“走路小游戏”就懂啦! You might ask: Why do integer frequency ratios sound harmonious, and non-integer ratios sound harsh? Let's play a "walking game" and you'll understand!
假设你和好朋友一起走路,你一步跨1米,好朋友一步跨2米,你们同时出发,每走2米的时候,你们刚好同时迈步,脚步完全对齐,走起来特别顺;如果好朋友一步跨1.2米,你走5步(5米)的时候,他走了4步多(4.8米),你们的脚步就乱了,甚至会撞到一起,走起来特别别扭。 Suppose you and your best friend are walking together, you take 1 meter per step, and your friend takes 2 meters per step. If you start at the same time, every time you walk 2 meters, you both step at the same time, your steps are perfectly aligned, and you walk very smoothly; if your friend takes 1.2 meters per step, when you walk 5 steps (5 meters), he has walked a little more than 4 steps (4.8 meters), your steps will be out of sync, and you may even bump into each other, which is very awkward to walk.
声音的振动就像走路一样:物体振动的时候会产生声波,声波有波峰(高的部分)和波谷(低的部分),如果两个声波的频率比是整数,比如2:1,那么短弦每振动2次,长弦才振动1次,第2次振动的时候,两个声波的波峰刚好碰在一起,波谷也对齐,就像你们脚步对齐一样,听起来就特别和谐;如果频率比不是整数,比如1.2:1,那么振动几次之后,一个的波峰就会撞到另一个的波谷,就像脚步乱了一样,听起来就刺耳。 Sound vibration is just like walking: when an object vibrates, it produces sound waves, which have crests (high parts) and troughs (low parts). If the frequency ratio of two sound waves is an integer, such as 2:1, then the short string vibrates 2 times for every 1 vibration of the long string. At the second vibration, the crests of the two sound waves just meet, and the troughs are also aligned, just like your steps are aligned, so it sounds very harmonious; if the frequency ratio is not an integer, such as 1.2:1, after a few vibrations, the crest of one will hit the trough of the other, just like messy steps, so it sounds harsh.
::: info 小知识卡片 八度(Octave):频率比为2:1的两个音,比如do和高音do,听起来特别像,只是高低不同,所以我们叫它们“双胞胎音”,钢琴上每12个键(7个白键+5个黑键)就是一个八度。 五度(Perfect Fifth):频率比为3:2的两个音,比如do和sol,是除了八度之外最和谐的音程,很多儿歌的开头都用五度关系,比如《小星星》的do-sol,《两只老虎》的sol-sol。 四度(Perfect Fourth):频率比为4:3的两个音,比如do和fa,也是常用的和谐音程,很多民歌的开头都是四度关系,比如《茉莉花》的“好一朵美丽的茉莉花”开头就是sol-do,刚好是四度。 An octave is two notes with a frequency ratio of 2:1, such as do and high do, which sound very similar, just with different pitches, so we call them "twin notes". Every 12 keys (7 white keys + 5 black keys) on a piano is an octave. A perfect fifth is two notes with a frequency ratio of 3:2, such as do and sol, which is the most harmonious interval besides the octave. Many nursery rhymes use the fifth relationship at the beginning, such as the do-sol of *Twinkle Twinkle Little Star*, and the sol-sol of *Two Tigers*. A perfect fourth is two notes with a frequency ratio of 4:3, such as do and fa, which is also a common harmonious interval. The beginning of many folk songs is a fourth relationship, such as the opening of *Jasmine Flower* "What a beautiful jasmine flower" is sol-do, which is exactly a fourth. :::
毕达哥拉斯把这次发现看得特别重要,他提出了一个当时特别厉害的理论:“万物皆数(All is Number)”,意思是世界上所有的东西,包括音乐、天体、甚至人的性格,都可以用数字来解释。他甚至相信,天体运行的时候也会发出声音,叫“天体音乐(Music of the Spher