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The World's Most Beautiful Equations?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the aesthetics-and-mathematical-elegance dept.

music4l numb3rs asks: "'An exhibition of the world's most beautiful equations...and some of the ugliest ones too' is how the artist Justin Mullins describes his upcoming show in London. He's exhibiting a number of old favourites such as Maxwell's equations and Euler's relation plus some I've not come across such as entanglement. As for ugliness, he points to the four color theorem. My question to contemplate over the holiday period is: what do Slashdot readers think are the most beautiful equations, and the most ugly ones too?"

5 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. e^(i*pi) = -1 by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Definitely different.

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  2. I agree, but... by rbarreira · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I agree, but in this case this is a Ask Slashdot, so it's normal that a question will be presented. By the way, the question wasn't added by the editors (same reason).

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  3. I vote for... by Pseudonym · · Score: 2, Insightful

    My vote is for the Einstein field equation. Briefly stated: the curvature of spacetime is proportional to its mass/energy content. Very pretty.

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    sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  4. Fundamental Theorem of Calculus by sinclair44 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I was always partial to the fundamental theorem of calc... pretty profound (tangents and integrals are opposites) but, unlike for example Maxwell's equations, it is VERY easy to understand and prove.

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    Omnes stulti sunt.
  5. The beauty is in the proof. by Vorondil28 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Not to be a humbug, but isn't the beauty of an equation in it's proof? I mean, mathematically, the difference between 2^(3*4)=4096 and e^(pi*i)=-1 isn't a whole lot. The proof, however, for e^(pi*i)=-1 is real mind-bender that culminates in a simple, beautiful little equation. It's that culmination that makes it beautiful, not the equation itself.

    On the other hand, an ugly one would be an equation that's long and complex with just as long and complex a proof.

    Just my $0.02.

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