How physics can contribute to the study of fossils and music

Fossilised Physics

Associate Professor Tim Senden

Hydrocarbons are not the only precious fossil resource in Australia as our land has also preserved some remarkable palaeontological treasures. Drawing from novel ANU research this presentation will show the technological connection between advanced methods in oil recovery and recent fossil discoveries that have improved our understanding of key milestones in the evolution of life.

Fiddling with Physics

Professor Neville Fletcher

There has been a close interaction between physics and music from at least the time of Pythagoras in 500BC, although most musical instruments and musical compositions have developed through tradition and experiment rather than mathematics. Today the development of physics allows us to explore and understand the ways in which sound is produced and controlled by the player in many varieties of instruments from the didjeridu to the violin, and often to make improvements in those instruments. This talk will examine sound production in several musical instruments and show how the underlying nonlinear physics explains and controls what is going on.