Euler’s identity
An arbitrary and abstract equality but simple, balanced - almost poetic.
For me it says maths isn’t a self-fulfilling abstraction of the real world but has its own validity.
Three basic mathematical operations: addition, multiplication and exponentiation
Two transcendental/irrational numbers: pi and e
THE natural number and multiplicative identity: 1
The additive identity: 0
And the imaginary number: i (or j)
pi derived from the trigonometric proportions of circles
e derived from exponential growth (compound interest) =
1 + 1/1 + 1/(1*2) + 1/(1*2*3) …
Aaah – the life of the mind.
