The acoustic origins of harmonic analysis (Q2457855)

This paper brings out overlooked or underestimated connections between music theory, acoustics, and harmonic analysis in the early development of the theory of heat. In particular it aims to show ``that acoustic theories for the emission, perception, and propagation of sound constantly bridged musical and mathematical harmonics, from [Daniel] Bernoulli's earliest intuitions to [Joseph] Fourier's perennial foundation of harmonic analysis.'' It calls attention to misunderstandings of the works on vibrating strings by d'Alembert, Euler, and Lagrange and concludes, among other things, that Fourier's theory depended much more on the earlier ``acoustics-driven harmonic analysis'' than is usually assumed.