'Wondrous Numbers': Music Inspired by the 3x + 1 Problem

The Mathematics Department presents a FaST Talk with multi-instrumentalist and educator Rob Flax ‘10. Flax describes his music concisely: “I play things with strings, I hit stuff, and I sing.” Behind this simple tag line lies a rich depth of genre-bending, from classical and jazz violin to bluegrass fiddle, to blues and rock influences, and beyond. Flax performs his original music solo (with looper pedal) and with his Boom Chick Trio, and he plays as sideman and session musician in many other projects. Flax is also the inventor of the Chessboard Drum Machine.

The Collatz Conjecture, aka the “3x + 1 Problem”, is one of number theory’s most famous unsolved mysteries. In this interdisciplinary lecture/concert, Denison alumnus and double major Flax explains the conjecture, performs an original song inspired by the “wondrous numbers”, and explores ways in which mathematics and music intertwine. 

Flax received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance in 2010.