Math in Art: What does beauty mean in math?

I'm going to be honest, that was the most boring lecture I've had thus far and I nearly died from absolute boredom.

Now let's talk about just a few things that are actually worth blogging about because it's actually fun and interesting.

Right at the beginning we got shown some artworks that literally had math in them. Meaning the actual equations, numbers and so on are written right on to the artwork or even just the equation by itself as a stand alone art piece.

Figure 1. Justin Mullins' Entanglement (Source: Centripetal Notion, 2006)

We got questioned: Is that art?

I'd say it can be art depending on how you look at it. For example, if you manipulated the characters in some way like you do with letters and words in typography, then that's definitely art. As a plain written equation however, I think the art/beauty is in what the equation does as opposed to its written, physical form.

In that case, what is beauty in math?

Beauty is subjective so that's hard to say, but for me beauty is definitely simplicity. So for me the beauty in math would be the simplest and quickest solution to a problem. I think beauty can also be what the equation actually does. For example, if an equation makes a line I like on a graph then that would be a beautiful equation. Fractals are also formed from equations if you're looking at fractal art. I think they're beautiful too.

Beauty in math can also be the numbers themselves. I have a preference for specific numbers, such as zeroes and twos. Zero for me is special, because it's like a circle. To me it's the beginning and end of everything. You start off with zero, it grows, then something horrible happens and you end up with nothing (zero). After that, it grows again--and so the cycle repeats. For twos I only like 2 alone, 12, or multiple twos such as 22,222,2222,22222, and so on. Twos feel clean, sleek, organised, and tidy. It reminds me of people as well. 12 is the only exception. I think 12 is a beautiful number. I don't completely know why, but I think it's because I associate 12 with the stars because of the 12 zodiac signs. I love astronomy and going out to see stars through my telescope.

Therefore, yes, math can be art and there is beauty in math. At least for me there is.


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Centripetal Notion. (2006). Justin Mullins: Mathematical Photography. Retrieved August 22, 2011, from http://centripetalnotion.com/2006/02/09/00:45:38/