source file: m1390.txt
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 09:20:02 -0500 (CDT)

Subject: Re: Continued Fraction Problems

From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison)

>2)In Dunne's excursion into using the maj 3rd (5/4) for the computation
>(on how many notes could be there in an ET octave), where ( log[2](5/4) =
>log[2](5) - log[2](4) )He says "since log[2](4) is an integer,the crux of
>the approximation is
>that of log[2](5) . Why is log [2](4) to be ignored ?

   I haven't seen this particular expose', but I suspect that it's not so
much that it can be ignored as that it isn't problematic.  The base-2 log
of 5 is irrational, so approximating it with a sum of multiples of
logarithms of integers is much more difficult for the log of 5.  The answer
for 4, on the other hand, is trivial and well-known as 2.





>3)I'm telling you, a lot
>of people could be put off by the math involved in microtonality.

   That's a well-known and well-founded concern.  And it has in fact
already taken quite a few people off the list.