The Universal Aesthetics of Mathematics

TL;DR

This study investigates whether the aesthetic perception of mathematical proofs is universal by examining if people associate mathematical arguments with musical and artistic styles, finding evidence of a shared aesthetic sense.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental approach to assess the universality of mathematical aesthetics through cross-modal matching with art and music.

Findings

Participants associated mathematical proofs with specific musical styles.

Evidence suggests a shared aesthetic perception of mathematics across individuals.

The results support the idea of a universal aesthetic character in mathematics.

Abstract

The unique and beautiful character of certain mathematical results and proofs is often considered one of the most gratifying aspects of engaging with mathematics. We study whether this perception of mathematical arguments having an intrinsic 'character' is subjective or universal -- this was done by having test subjects with varying degrees of mathematical experience match mathematical arguments with paintings and music: 'does this proof feel more like Bach or Schubert?' The results suggest that such a universal connection indeed exists.