Manjul Bhargava - Poetry, Drumming, and Mathematics: The Shared Creativity of Rhyme, Rhythm, and Reason

The 2026 Einstein Lectures will focus on the topic of number theory. From 19 to 20 October, 2026, Fields Medalist Manjul Bhargava will give three lectures on this topic. "Poetry, Drumming, and Mathematics: The Shared Creativity of Rhyme, Rhythm, and Reason" is the third of three Einstein Lectures. Mathematics pervades all the sciences, but it also lies at the heart of a number of fields in the humanities. Two such important subjects which go back to ancient times are linguistics and music. In fact, many of the modern mathematical tools used in probability and combinatorics, and tools applied in varied technologies, such as those on NASA space missions, originate in problems encountered by linguists and musicians thousands of years ago. A look at some of these ancient, poetic problems - and their remarkable solutions through the ages – reveals much about the nature of human thought and the origins of mathematics.