Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,
Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies,
Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car,
And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?
—Edgar Allan Poe (1829)
FORM OVER FUNCTION
Science, and mathematics in particular, is often seen as beautiful. Not only for the visual forms produced by its formulas (such as fractals) but also for the elegance, clarity, and inevitability with which it describes reality.
Another form of beauty, which is rarely emphasized, is the syntactic side of formulas. Patterns, spacing, rhythm, hierarchy, minimalism, abundance, closure... the list of potential aesthetic aspects is endless.
The syntax (typographical form) of a formula is independent of its meaning or truth. All curated formulas are 'true' however, in the sense that they appear as-is in mathematical papers
1 from Cornell University. Something profound is being said, albeit thoroughly incomprehensible
2, almost mystical.
Click here for a gallery of curated mathematical forms. Or view them as a
slideshow on autoplay.
Titled, numbered and signed 25-edition FineArt prints.
40x40cm
EUR 250
1 Disclaimer: a small percentage of proofs are later shown to be incorrect.
2 Professional mathematicians: this is not for you.
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