Universiteit Leiden

nl en

Exhibition shows the ‘beauty and power’ of mathematics

In the ‘Imaginary’ exhibition, its curators show how society is made up of mathematics. From algorithms that save lives to ones that generate art. The exhibition is from 2 June to 25 July at Oude UB in Leiden.

In a digital twin of a physical object, all the relevant information is brought together to help make a better design. Image: Dick Hartman
In a digital twin of a physical object, all the relevant information is brought together to help make a better design. Image: Dick Hartman

Mention maths and most people will think of that difficult subject that caused so many headaches at school. With the Imaginary travelling exhibition, the Dutch Platform for Mathematics wants to entice a wide audience into the wonderful world of numbers. ‘There’s a lot of invisible maths in more or less all of our daily lives,’ says Professor Wil Schilders, director of the Dutch Platform for Mathematics. ‘We’ve used appealing examples to reveal the beauty and power of mathematics.’ 

Maths saves lives

The exhibition shows a wide range of applications: crime fighting, economic models, sport, space travel, financial systems and not forgetting medicine and health care.  ‘Maths saves lives,’ says Schilders. Quickly finding patterns is essential to drug development and smart algorithms make ambulances arrive faster. Posters, 3D objects and interactive touchscreens show how mathematical formulas can be used to build both artistic creations and ‘digital twins’, which can be used to design less-polluting cars, for example.

Sea monster Image: Torsten Stier. Geometric operations can be used to design 3D figures.
Sea monster Image: Torsten Stier. Geometric operations can be used to design 3D figures.

European City of Science

The exhibition is opening here because Leiden is the European City of Science this year. Imaginary can be seen in other Dutch and Flemish cities from this autumn. The participating universities are organising various activities to tie in with the exhibition in a ‘mathematics month’. There will also be guided tours for schools. Getting young people interested in mathematics is a specific aim of the exhibition, Schilders explains. ‘They are often unaware of the important role of mathematics in our society. Hopefully, that will have changed after a visit to our exhibition.’

Text: Linda van Putten

This website uses cookies.