Math and Art

I have often heard my Math teachers and professors call certain mathematical proofs, equations, sequences, etc. beautiful. Now, naturally, this would seem strange, because the word 'beautiful' is typically used to describe something stimulating to the physical senses. Although math often seems dry and not 'sensory', there is evidence to suggest that equations can be just as 'beautiful' as visual forms of art, according to the Huffington Post article cited.

I found this article relevant because it compared the neurological effects of visual forms of art and pure mathematics and found them the same, using the science of brain scans!

Euler's equation, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful math equations

However, the equation above can only really be understood by someone with background knowledge in math, which is a problem. This week, I learned that mathematics can influence visual art through the development of technique, and also that art can be a means of explaining complex mathematics.

In lecture, I learned that the ideas of perspective were pioneered as early as 1000 AD by al-Haytham. In addition to it's artistic influence, it seems that the Book of Optics he wrote also has philosophical impacts as well, as he argues that personal experience can affect how individuals see the world around them.

The latter concept, of art being used to demonstrate complex mathematical concepts, was brought up in lecture by the work of Piet Mondrian, but also can be demonstrated by the following photographic artwork.

"A spiral aloe (aloe polyphylla) in the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden." - Joe Christianson

"SunFlower: the Fibonacci sequence, Golden Section" - lucapost

The Fibonacci sequence might seem to some as an esoteric idea that doesn't have a practical value, but this photograph shows that it can even be found in nature, and that math truly surrounds us.

Further, art in the form of the novel Flatland also demonstrates the idea of higher dimensions, something normally outside the grasp of someone not well versed in high level math or science. It really changed my perspective.

All of these collaborations between math, art and science allow us to interpret high level ideas in a new light, and change our perspective of the world around us to see that mathematical concepts are ubiquitous in our lives.
Links:
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/17/beautiful-math-equations-brain-great-art_n_4789667.html

2.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/738111/Ibn-al-Haytham

3.https://www.flickr.com/photos/parsectraveller/3193354054/in/faves-110482765@N04/

4.https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucapost/694780262/in/faves-110482765@N04/

5. http://www.popmath.org.uk/rpamaths/rpampages/sunflower.html

Cites:
Freeman, David. "Here's Proof That Beautiful Math Equations Affect The Brain Just Like Great Art." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
Christianson, Joe. "Fibonacci." Flickr. Yahoo!, 04 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
Lucapost. "SunFlower: The Fibonacci Sequence, Golden Section." Flickr. Yahoo!, 09 Sept. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics Part 1." Youtube. YouTube, 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
Abbott, Edwin A. Flatland. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1991. Flatland. Ibiblio.org. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
"Flowers and Fibonacci." Flowers and Fibonacci. U.C.N.W., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
"Ibn al-Haytham". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2015