Research group The research group investigates the role of aesthetics in the development of mathematical ability, with the aim of improving how we teach mathematics in school.
Mathematicians often talk about the beauty of mathematics, and this experience often seems to be part of why they chose to work in this particular subject. In other words, appreciation of the aesthetic dimension of mathematics seems to be an important part of the motivation behind mathematicians' choice of subject, and sometimes it is therefore suggested that one could use beauty experiences in mathematics to motivate students, and in the long run to promote learning. There are also additional dimensions to the role of beauty perceptions in mathematics, namely to determine what is true and what is not, and to choose which problems are worth working on. Aesthetics in mathematics has long been an interesting subject for many mathematicians, but has largely been dealt with by mathematicians in memoirs, personal reflections, and popular science presentations. It is only recently that it has developed into a research area of its own. Together with research in the philosophy of mathematics and neuroscience, among others, the goal is to contribute to this growing field. This project mainly aims to understand what aesthetic experiences are and what role they play in the development of mathematical ability. We collect data across the spectrum, from young children to mathematics researchers, to finally build a robust theory of what beauty in mathematics is and how it affects mathematical ability. When someone says they like a piece of evidence or an explanation, what does it really mean? Can children experience beauty in the same way as a mathematician? How can we systematically conduct empirical studies of children's and adults' aesthetic experiences? Is there a connection between aesthetic experiences and cognitive and affective aspects of mathematical understanding?
