TEACHING MATHEMATICS WITH ART

An innovative and charming interpretation of Euclid’s Elements, Oliver Byrne’s Elements of Euclid: The First Six Books with Coloured Diagrams and Symbols takes many of Euclid’s most complex geometric theorems and turns them into colorful diagrams, almost resembling modern art. Using tools such as color coding and logical symbols, Byrne weaves various geometric phenomena and essentially captures them as fun rudimentary puzzle games.

There are many who don’t possess the ability to fully understand the Elements of Euclid, whether it is a lack of accessible teachers or subpar language comprehension. Byrne’s interpretation of Euclid’s work made it so anybody, regardless of background, could understand Euclid’s work, acting as an innovation in furthering access to mathematical knowledge. The creative thinking from Byrne as well as the meticulous process of printing this colored book with wood blocks is precisely what drew me to his work.

by Isaac Zhang, Computer Science, Class of 2027