I am taking part in the Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers. For this challenge I will be attempting to write a “Slice of Life” post each day in the month of March and each Tuesday after that.


Part of my new-found love for math centers around it’s elegance and ineffability. Last weekend as the 69th Annual ASCD Conference, Sir Ken Robinson mentioned that a doctoral study in “Pure Math” would include work that is both innovative and elegant. That struck me and I’ve been stewing on it ever since. I like elegant things. I respect simple beauty. I’m impressed with the elegance of nature and even more impressed with mathematical concepts found in nature.

Image Citation

I also have a deep respect for ineffability. Ideas of concepts that can not, or should not, be expressed in words. What a gorgeous idea. An idea that ought not be said aloud. A Lord Voldemort of philosophy. I would love to have an idea so inexplicably elegant that I can’t even say it out loud. What a hallmark of genius that would be!


If math is both elegant and ineffable, then I may have found something to love–a way in. 


Here is a list of 11 Beautiful Math Equations from LiveScience.com:

General Relativity 

Standard Model 

Calculus 

Pythagorean Theorem 

1=0.99999999…. 

Special Relativity 

Euler’s Equation 

Euler–Lagrange Equations and Noether’s Theorem 

Callan-Symanzik Equation 

Minimal Surface Equation 

The Euler Line

Here are my first thoughts–from the lens of a newbie mathematician…


This Euler fellow seems to know a thing or two.
I like that there is a general relativity and a special relativity.
My mind is shattering at the idea that 1=0.99999…, but since I remember Calculus also shattering my mind, I’m not surprised.

How about you, what are your first thoughts about these 11 elegant-but-not-quite-ineffable ideas?