Can Equations Be Aesthetic Art?

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    2017 Art Contest
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Discussion Overview

The thread explores the aesthetic qualities of mathematical equations, inviting participants to submit their most visually appealing equations without regard to their mathematical significance. The discussion includes a contest format where members can vote on their favorite entries using LaTeX formatting.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose equations based on their visual appeal, such as Stokes' theorem and the Cauchy integral formula, emphasizing the beauty in their structure.
  • Others present equations like the Fibonacci sequence and the wave equation, highlighting their aesthetic qualities while also referencing their mathematical context.
  • Several participants repeatedly share the equation $$\int~e^x = f(u^n)$$, prompting discussions about its meaning and aesthetic value.
  • There are multiple mentions of the famous equation $$e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$$, with some arguing it embodies beauty due to its simplicity and significance in mathematics.
  • Some entries, such as $$3987^{12} + 4365^{12} = 4472^{12}$$, are met with skepticism regarding their validity as aesthetic contributions, leading to discussions about the rules of the contest.
  • Participants express varying opinions on the relationship between meaning and aesthetic value, with some asserting that meaning enhances beauty while others argue for a purely aesthetic judgment.
  • Humor and light-hearted commentary are present throughout, with participants sharing personal anecdotes and playful remarks about the equations submitted.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not reach a consensus on whether aesthetic beauty can be separated from mathematical meaning, with multiple competing views remaining on this topic. The discussion includes both supportive and critical perspectives on various entries.

Contextual Notes

Some equations presented may not adhere strictly to the contest rules, leading to discussions about the validity of certain entries. Additionally, there are unresolved questions regarding the interpretation of aesthetic value in mathematical expressions.

  • #31
Math_QED said:
You stole my profile picture :eek: (at least an equivalent form haha)
And you've stolen it from a blind man. ... What a bunch of thefts have I landed in ... :nb)
 
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  • #32
fresh_42 said:
This one is the beauty in the contest and will always win, if mathematicians are honest with their votes, I think. I like the positive form ##e^{i\pi}+1=0## a little more, as there is also the ##0## involved: top of the pop, so to say. And I really have to fight myself, because I still have two other beauties in mind ... d... rule ##1## ...
It cannot win. It violates one of the competition rules:
Greg Bernhardt said:
  • Must use LaTeX
:-p
 
  • #33
fresh_42 said:
##\int = S##
Oh shoot! It is not about math. Ha... funny.
 
  • #34
scottdave said:
Oh shoot! It is not about math. Ha... funny.
We all must be cautious not to end up like me. Once in a not really crowded bar, the discussion at the table was boring and the music played "In the Army now" from Status Quo. At the far end was sitting a couple and well, the girl wore a t-shirt (not much "t" though) which uncovered more than it hid. Next I caught myself thinking about tangent spaces on named curved space and tried to imagine whether a certain point at the front is a real singularity or whether it's still differentiable ... Needless to say I didn't really try to figure it out by inspection.
 
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  • #35
I like the wave equation:

##\Delta \vec Z - \frac{1}{v²}\frac{\partial² \vec Z}{\partial t²} = \vec 0##
 
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  • #36
21awlt0.png

"... It only remained to write the book out... I worked at it from 10 to 12 hours a day for about eight months in the year, from 1907 to 1910" (the work having started about 1900) "..- the manuscript became more and more vast, and every time that I went out for a walk I used to be afraid that the House would catch fire and the manuscript get burnt up. It was not, of course, the sort of manuscript that could be typed, or even copied. When we finally took it to the University Press, it was so large that we had to hire an old four-wheeler for the purpose... The University Press estimated that there would be a loss of £600 on the book". After obtaining various generous contributions "the remaining £100 we had to find ourselves. We thus earned minus £50 each by ten years' work. This beats the record of Paradise Lost." (The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell 1872 to 1914)

However click theresultofthisivorytowerresearchhasfoundmanypractical applicationsandisevenusedbyeconomistsprovingyetagainthat contd. on p94(Edit I have now read the rules more carefully and see this creative selection and copying is not according to them, but maybe there are things some of you might like to know. :oldbiggrin: These symbolic logic pages have an appearance different from ordinary math, very impressive when you don't know what they mean. But since the competition has to be in latex, and as I have just spent an hour failing to create two lines of latex, and they were only a modification of one line by someone else, :blushing: I probably won't submit anything else.)
 
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  • #37
##d^2=0##
 
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  • #38
martinbn said:
##d^2=0##
Finally an equation which I exactly understand! :wink:
 
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  • #39
One of Euler's identities regarding the relationship between exponential and trigonometric functions

##\tan\theta = -i (\frac{e ^{i\theta} - e ^{-i\theta }}{e ^{i\theta} + e ^{-i\theta }})##
 
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  • #40
martinbn said:
##d^2=0##
Earlier today I was wondering why nobody had put this already. :wink:
 
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  • #41
Orodruin said:
Earlier today I was wondering why nobody had put this already. :wink:
I would quote the "One cross each!" scene here, but some people might feel offended, so I don't insert the corresponding video clip.
 
  • #42
fresh_42 said:
I would quote the "One cross each!" scene here, but some people might feel offended, so I don't insert the corresponding video clip.
Who could be offended by classic Monty Python scenes? Oh, wait! There was that entire bout with the church over that one ...
 
  • #43
I attempted to submit an equation for the aesthetic-equation contest. Here's another try:
upload_2017-9-22_13-42-25.png
 
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  • #44
1=1:biggrin:
 
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  • #45
πππ
 
  • #46
If someone is offended by a Monty Python scene, it just means the scene is accurate.
 
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  • #47
My equation, in a separate post to allow unbiased voting:

##\nabla^2 = \Delta##
 
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  • #48
##\overbrace{\smile}^{\theta\theta}##
 
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  • #49
$$\int_{-1}^1\frac1x\sqrt{\frac{1+x}{1-x}}\ln\left(\frac{2\,x^2+2\,x+1}{2\,x^2-2\,x+1}\right)\ \mathrm dx = 4\pi \operatorname{arccot} \sqrt{\phi}$$.

Where ##\phi = \dfrac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2},## is our dear golden ratio.
 
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  • #50
Not for contest :)

$$\int_{0}^{1}{x^{2} - 1 \over \ln{x}}\,d x =
\int_{0}^{1}\int_{0}^{1}{x^{t + 1} + x^{t}}\, dx \ dt$$
 
  • #51
mfb said:
My equation, in a separate post to allow unbiased voting:

##\nabla^2 = \Delta##

That is clever, I like it.
 
  • #52
mfb said:
##\nabla^2 = \Delta##
I always write ##\nabla^2## in order to avoid confusion with small but finite differences ... Does that make me weird?
 
  • #53
I regret that I didn't submit ##\sum_{k=1}^{\infty} k = \frac{-1}{12}##
 
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  • #54
One of the most important results in mainstream physics:

\psi = e^{i\alpha} \phi \Rightarrow \hat{\psi} = \hat{\phi}
 
  • #55
Math_QED said:
I regret that I didn't submit ##\sum_{k=1}^{\infty} k = \frac{-1}{12}##
And I'm glad you didn't. This weird sum shows up on PF far too often already o_O
I regret a little that I didn't take ##2^n+7^n+8^n+18^n+19^n+24^n=3^n+4^n+12^n+14^n+22^n+23^n##, the best lesson on induction I've ever seen.
 
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  • #57
mfb said:
I guess you can solve that equation for possible values of n...

Here is a plot
Yes, but the interesting point is behind the formula: who found that, how, and even more why? Did they use a mainframe and simply tried? And how much has someone to drink before he tackles such an undertaking. Strange.
 
  • #58
A computer should find something like that quickly. Assign prefactors of -1 (left side), 0 (don't use) or 1 (right side) and find a set that fits for n from 0 to 5.

325 = 850 billion combinations if you use 1 to 25, but most of these combinations don't need to be considered.
 
  • #59
I prefer a political statement; the flow of water is power. (Sorry, no LaTex here).

H2O = m·c2
 
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  • #60
<br /> \left( \frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{8}+\frac{1}{16}+\frac{1}{32}+\frac{1}{64}+\cdots\right)=1<br />
 
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