Group Theory for Bell-Ringers

Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Mathematics - Algebra, grade: 1,7, University of Leeds (School of Mathematics), course: The Mathematics of Music, language: English, abstract: The art of change-ringing has been practised, particularly in England, for over four hundred years but only recently mathematicians have taken an interest in the fact that this art can be described rather elegantly in mathematical terms. Surprisingly, the mathematical concept in question, group theory, is about a century younger than the applications of it in the ringing of changes as described thoroughly by Fabian Stedman in 1667. In this essay groups will be introduced as a tool for exploring the art of change-ringing and through bell-ringing introduce the mathematical concepts of sets, functions and groups.