Maths EPQ ideas: maths in music, art and sport

Tuning, timbre, perspective, tilings, ratings and race times: mathematics in the things you do for fun.

Tip. Choose a measurable question, not a celebration of patterns.

9 ideas

Why a piano cannot be perfectly in tuneWhy can't a piano be perfectly in tune? Equal temperament versus just intonationMusic, art and sportSolidDissertation or artefact
Why instruments sound differentWhy do a violin and a flute playing the same note sound different? Fourier analysis and timbreMusic, art and sportAmbitiousDissertation or artefact
Perspective in Renaissance artHow did Renaissance artists use geometry to create perspective, and how accurate were they?Music, art and sportAccessibleDissertation or artefact
Tilings and EscherWhich shapes can tile the plane, and how can symmetry be used to design an original Escher-style tiling?Music, art and sportAccessibleArtefact
Predicting race timesCan you predict a marathon time from a 5 km race? Testing a power-law formulaMusic, art and sportAccessibleDissertation
Game theory and penalty kicksWhere should a penalty taker aim? Game theory and mixed strategies in footballMusic, art and sportSolidDissertation
Fair targets in rain-hit cricketHow does the DLS method set fair targets in rain-affected cricket, and is it fair?Music, art and sportSolidDissertation
How Elo ratings workHow does the Elo rating system work, and is it a fair way to rank teams or players?Music, art and sportSolidDissertation or artefact
Why tennis scoring rewards the better playerWhy does tennis scoring turn a small edge on each point into a big edge in matches?Music, art and sportSolidDissertation

Frequently asked questions

Is maths in music, art and sport a good area for a maths EPQ?

It can be, if you narrow it to one question you can answer with mathematics you understand and evidence you can find. Choose a measurable question, not a celebration of patterns.

Can I use one of these titles as it is?

Use it as a starting point. Change the case, the data or the comparison until the title is your own, and agree it with your supervisor before you start.

Other areas: Pure · Modelling · Statistics · History and philosophy · Economics and society · Computer science · Physics and engineering · Biology and medicine · Artefacts

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