Posted on: November 11, 2005 in Miscellany
Complexity Theory and Old Macdonald?
I just came across this fantastic (and humorous) paper by Donald Knuth, where he analyzes the complexity of popular songs throughout history, noting the trend toward simpler and simpler songs.
I think he has correctly identified at least one of the main factors for this trend as well:
Not mentioned in the article is the space complexity of John Cages masterpiece 4’33”, which is left as an exercise for the astute reader.