Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
full classification of possibilities; the final tally is only 17 in two dimensions (the so-called wallpaper patterns) and 230 in three dimensions.
John Brockman • This Explains Everything: 150 Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works (Edge Question Series)
What we need to know here is that the steady states of physical systems can be described as minimums of mathematical functions, which are known as thermodynamic potentials.
Cesar Hidalgo • Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies
Bill Thurston writes:
Mathematics is a process of staring hard enough with enough perseverance at the fog of muddle and confusion to eventually break through to improved clarity.
Andy Matuschak • Cultivating Depth and Stillness in Research
See elegant simplifications that others
Barbara Oakley PhD • Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens
It seems that, from the perspective of mathematical science, there exist two natural domains. The first is the physical domain of particles, fields, and universal laws, with an associated search for elegant theories that apply everywhere in the known universe. Here, science has made great strides. The second domain is that of complex phenomena. The
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