Prime Numbers Will Rock You

The connection between prime numbers and the stomp-stomp-clap in the song "We Will Rock You" by Queen

Have you heard Queen’s “We will, we will rock you”? Do you remember the iconic stomp-stomp-clap rhythm that’s part of the song? What does that have to do with prime numbers?

Brian May, the lead guitarist of the band Queen, who wrote their biggest hit, “We will rock you” is a PhD in astrophysics. While composing this song, he wanted to create the effect of a large audience stomping their feet and clapping for the stomp-stomp-clap rhythm. To do this he took a single sound-clip, and then repeated it multiple times, with the delay between them being prime-number multiples of the smallest distance. This ensures that they don’t result in harmonics and echos, and gives the feel of a large crowd.

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