Sometimes, in the rush of our daily lives, we forget to slow down and reflect. The endless cycle of tasks, deadlines, and constant notifications can overwhelm us. In the process, we unintentionally overlook the quiet foundations of knowledge that shape the world around us — particularly the simple yet profound truths of mathematics.
When life feels chaotic, we need to take a moment to pause and reconnect with the beauty hidden in everyday things. The rhythmic fall of raindrops, the swirling of sugar in coffee, or the way the wind shapes the trees are all examples of mathematical wonders and principles that we rarely consider.
Mathematics is more than just numbers and equations; it’s a language that reveals the intricate pattern of the world around us.
Beauty of Mathematics by Paris-based artists Yann Pineill and Nicolas Lefaucheux reminds us of this connection. They captured the essence of mathematics in everyday life, blending equations, models, and real-world events. The video seamlessly connects the beauty of nature with the elegance of math, showing how the same principles that describe the flight of an airplane also explain the formation of snowflakes or the bounce of a skipping stone.
For instance, when we drop sugar into our coffee, there’s more than just a swirl. The swirling pattern is the result of fluid dynamics — a field of mathematics that explains how liquids move and interact. A mathematical optimization process meticulously calculates every angle for maximum strength and efficiency, resulting in the graceful yet precise geometry of a spider’s web. Probability theory, a branch of mathematics that governs chance and outcomes, even underpins the randomness of rolling dice.
In those fleeting moments, when we stop and pay attention, we realize that math is not just something confined to textbooks or classrooms — it’s alive, constantly at work in the world around us. This is the beauty of math, as Bertrand Russell, the philosopher and mathematician, once said:
Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth but supreme beauty — a beauty cold and austere, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music.
This beauty doesn’t demand our attention; it’s quiet and subtle, waiting patiently for us to rediscover it. It is the hidden force that underlies the simple yet complex systems that keep the world in motion.
But we often forget this. We get so caught up in the chaos around us that we overlook the order and balance present in our environment. However, when we take a moment to stop and think — just like Yann and Nicolas’s video shows — we begin to see that mathematics is everywhere. It’s not just an abstract theory; it’s the language that explains how our world works, from the patterns in nature to the systems we design.
At times, we must pause, inhale deeply, and allow ourselves to reconnect with this truth. By doing so, we can rediscover the elegance and harmony that are always present, waiting for us to notice. Mathematics is not just about solving problems; it’s about understanding the world in its most fundamental and beautiful form.