Elegance
"If someone comes up with a new mathematical theory that's 300 pages long with a lot of complex calculations, then you might suppose that the reason it hadn't been done previously was that it was too difficult."
The above quotation is from an article about a ground-breaking knot theory, figured out by a researcher in Topology, the study of mathematics that deals with surfaces.
What stuck me is this idea of elegance. According to Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe, string theorist, and pop culture guru on unification theory, most physicts and mathematicians strive to understand the world around them in as simple of terms as possible. It is helpful in both producing practical calculations, and presenting an understadning of the universe that is direct and easy to understand.
I also like to believe that this search for may have roots in artistry. To me, striving for mathematical elegance it's not so much different that a poet's search for beauty. BOth the theorist and the poet are driven by the same passion to describe the world around concisely and with reverence. While a poet constructs words and images, a physicist constructs numerical representations of reality.
Granted, an equation is not as sexy as a rose, but when it comes to understanding the basic physics of existence, it can definitely smell as sweet. That mathematical discovery about the knot had to be a beautiful feeling.
posted by Chris W. @ 9:51 AM
