Reflecting on beauty: the aesthetics of mathematical discovery

Fuente: arXiv
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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jevtić, Filip D., Kostić, Jovana, Maksimović, Katarina
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Jevtić, Filip D.
Kostić, Jovana
Maksimović, Katarina
author_facet Jevtić, Filip D.
Kostić, Jovana
Maksimović, Katarina
contents Mathematical research is often motivated by the desire to reach a beautiful result or to prove it in an elegant way. Mathematician's work is thus strongly influenced by his aesthetic judgments. However, the criteria these judgments are based on remain unclear. In this article, we focus on the concept of mathematical beauty, as one of the central aesthetic concepts in mathematics. We argue that beauty in mathematics reveals connections between apparently non-related problems or areas and allows a better and wider insight into mathematical reality as a whole. We also explain the close relationship between beauty and other important notions such as depth, elegance, simplicity, fruitfulness, and others.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_05379
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reflecting on beauty: the aesthetics of mathematical discovery
Jevtić, Filip D.
Kostić, Jovana
Maksimović, Katarina
History and Overview
Mathematical research is often motivated by the desire to reach a beautiful result or to prove it in an elegant way. Mathematician's work is thus strongly influenced by his aesthetic judgments. However, the criteria these judgments are based on remain unclear. In this article, we focus on the concept of mathematical beauty, as one of the central aesthetic concepts in mathematics. We argue that beauty in mathematics reveals connections between apparently non-related problems or areas and allows a better and wider insight into mathematical reality as a whole. We also explain the close relationship between beauty and other important notions such as depth, elegance, simplicity, fruitfulness, and others.
title Reflecting on beauty: the aesthetics of mathematical discovery
topic History and Overview
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.05379