Scholarly Article No. 1 on Greatest Hits List
A scholarly article by Alma College mathematics professor John Putz is No. 1 on Mathematics Magazine’s greatest hits list.
The magazine, in existence for more than 75 years, became available on
the Web in 2002 through the JSTOR archive, an online database to which
many college libraries and other institutions subscribe. Through JSTOR,
readers have access to a huge collection of articles.
A recent analysis of Web hits determined the most frequently viewed articles in the history of Mathematics Magazine. Topping the list is an October 1995 article by Putz titled “The Golden Section and the Piano Sonatas of Mozart.”
John Putz
“The list includes articles from every decade of Mathematics Magazine’s
existence, except the 1920s,” writes Ivars Peterson, director of
publications for journals and communications for the Mathematical
Association of America. “The topics are widely varied, though there is
a distinct bias toward the history of mathematics.”
In addition to the article by Putz, the top 15 most frequently viewed
articles include “Humanizing Mathematics,” by R.C. Archibald, November
1932; “The Influence of Mathematics on the Philosophy of Descartes” by
R. H. Moorman, April 1943; and “Rigor and Proof in Mathematics: A
Historical Perspective” by Israel Kleiner, December 1991.
The article by Putz, a member of the Alma College faculty since 1981,
describes a mathematics ratio called the Golden Ratio, or the Golden
Section, which some people think represents the most aesthetically
pleasing proportions.
“For example, take a line segment and divide it by a point,” says Putz.
“If the ratio of the smaller section to the larger section is the same
proportion as the larger section to the whole, then you have the Golden
Ratio.
“I was talking with my son, who in 1995 was studying music in college,
and he explained to me how Mozart’s piano sonatas were divided into two
parts. I knew that Mozart’s music is considered beautifully
proportioned, and I began to wonder whether the sonatas were divided
according to the Golden Ratio. So I investigated it. At first the music
appeared to reflect the Golden Section, but as I looked deeper, I found
that it really doesn’t. I wrote the article, submitted it, and it was
published,” he says.
Putz guesses that the popularity of his article is connected to public
interest in the Mozart Effect, a term used to describe the alleged
increase in brain development that occurs in children under age 3 when
they listen to Mozart.
“It’s a popular thing to connect music and mathematics,” he says. “My
research in 1995 was a curiosity to me then, but it isn’t something I
have continued to study.”
His son, Kevin, now 35 and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in
New York and Yale University, is a professional composer who writes
compositions for major orchestras. This past summer, Kevin was
commissioned to write a piece for the New York Philharmonic. John, his
wife, and his son attended the premiere at Lincoln Center in July.
Posted: Fri, September 21st, 2007 at 11:08AM
