A theorem developed for heat flow revolutionized acoustics.

Evidence

Joseph Fourier (figure 3.16) answered this question in the affirmative around 1800. His motivation was heat flow, not sound or music, yet Fourier more or less unwittingly revolutionized the field of acoustics. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 325

Categorization

• CANDY: A neat dinner-party fact: the math behind heat conduction turned out to underlie all of sound and music.