What do you think when it comes to Pythagoras? The sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees! The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two sides of the right angle! The father of arithmetic who first suggested that the Earth is actually a sphere, not a flat disk! The person who discovered the Evening Star and the Morning Star was actually one and only Venus.
But few people know that in addition to his great contributions in the fields of mathematics and astronomy, Pythagoras was also a musicologist. He was the first to discover the correct 5th and 8th octave scales, by applying mathematics to the interpretation of sound laws.
A picture that summarizes the fields of Pythagoras’ research that have made a great contribution to humanity. Lower left you can see a 7-string Kithara or Lyre, representing Pythagoras’ field of musical studies.
The age of the living Pythagoras is about 570-295 BC. At that time, the ancient Greeks invented many musical instruments including the harp, the lyre, the kithara – of the strings, and the Aulos and the Syrinx – the flutes of the wind.
With his mathematical thinking, Pythagoras realized that the pitch of a musical note is always inversely proportional to the length of the string that produces that note. And with some simple mathematical ratios, the set of notes will form a pleasant harmony.
In contrast, if Pythagoras listened to music that aroused energy, at a certain frequency and tone, he found that this music could help him wake up.
2500 years after the initial discoveries of Pythagoras, a team of scientists from RMIT University, Australia tested this hypothesis and found: Yes, there is a recipe for alarm ringtones that only Just need to listen to wake you up.
Let’s find out what that formula is?
Why did Pythagoras dislike being drowsy and neither do we?
Pythagoras once said: “There are 4 things in life to control: anger, sex drive, food cravings, and sleep cravings“. Many ancient philosophers considered sleep to be lazy behavior, especially after sleeping, we still feel like we don’t want to wake up.
Like us, Pythagoras suffered from early morning sleep, which prevented him from thinking clearly. Drowsiness causes cognitive decline. Scientists call it “sleep inertia” or “sleep inertia”.
When your brain goes from sleep to wakefulness, it doesn’t act like a switch. Instead, waking is a series of complex biological processes, and has the same inertia as when a wheelchair is rolling.
Research shows that certain areas of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, take a long time to “warm up” from sleep. The amount of blood pumped there is lower every morning when you wake up – even lower while you sleep.
It’s worrisome, because the prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain that’s important for activities that require alertness. This affects more than just your mood, perception, and psyche.
In some cases, grogginess after waking can be life-threatening, for example when driving, responding to emergencies, performing safety and security procedures. such as wearing protective gear in a chemical lab, injecting yourself at home, etc.
“The Pythagorean Theorem” for alarm ringtones
Just as Pythagoras saw some music that could help him stay awake, modern scientists have discovered: That effect comes from the fact that music and sounds with a specific frequency stimulate the circulation distribution. blood flow to the brain, pushing more blood into areas needed for alertness.
For example, studies by Associate Professor Adrian Dyer and auditory perception researcher Stuart McFarlane at RMIT University have found that sounds in the 500 Hz frequency range have a better alarm potential than 2000 Hz.
The results of these studies were used by Apple for its standard alarm ringtone, which set it at 500 Hz. Sound frequency alone isn’t enough, however, and Dyer and McFarlane say tone and human voices also affect the effectiveness of an alarm’s ringtone.
For example, when a person screams “wake up” is more effective than just ringtones. And favorite tracks that let you hum along to the singer’s lyrics are more effective than random tracks you don’t know, especially as it works. more than a few hours”beep” is the same standard as the alarm in the iPhone.
So what does all of that mean? Dyer and McFarlane say you can come up with a perfect recipe for your alarm tone – consisting of 3 elements:
– It should be a favorite tune, energizing, easy to sing, hum along
– It has a dominant frequency in the range of 500 Hz, corresponding to tone C5
– It’s not too fast or too slow (between 100-120 BPM beats per minute is appropriate)
An alarm ringtone designed by McFarlane according to the above criteria
Additionally, Dyer and McFarlane say the volume level is also important. The younger you are, the louder your alarm will need to be set because you will fall asleep more deeply and have a harder time waking up. For example, an 18-year-old will need 20 decibels more alarms than an 80-year-old.
“Most alarms are preloaded at the appropriate volume that will wake you up. But specific designs (such as the design above which you can download here) was simulated according to the latest study. Not only do they encourage euphoria, but they also boost your alertness when you wake up“, Dyer and McFarlane wrote.
Refer to Theconversation