International Mathematics Day 2025: Applications of Mathematics in Art and Life

NDO - International Mathematics Day with the theme: "Mathematics, Art, and Creativity" took place on the morning of March 13, organized by the UNESCO International Mathematics Research and Training Center (UNESCO Mathematics Center), the Institute of Mathematics - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and the Center for Scientific Data and Information in Hanoi.

March 14 every year is International Mathematics Day, officially chosen by the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization at the 40th Session of the UNESCO General Conference on November 26, 2019.

In response to International Mathematics Day, every year, the UNESCO International Mathematics Research and Training Center (UNESCO Mathematics Center), the Institute of Mathematics - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology organizes International Mathematics Day according to topics proposed by the International Mathematical Union.

In this 6th year, the Unesco Mathematics Center has expanded its collaboration with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the Center for Scientific Data and Information to organize the International Mathematics Day with the theme: “Mathematics, Art, and Creativity”. At the event, two public lectures on the application of Mathematics in life took place.

Professor, Doctor of Science Tran Van Tan, Hanoi National University of Education presented the lecture "Mathematics and the art of marble tiling".

In the lecture “Mathematics and the art of marble tiling”, Professor, Doctor of Science Tran Van Tan, Hanoi National University of Education shared the application of Mathematics in the tiling of workers. Professor, Doctor of Science Tran Van Tan said that in daily life, when visiting some paintings, squares, street walls, castles, ancient tombs, ... we can see very beautiful and interesting types of tiling, mosaics, and artistic decorations.

Tiling a flat floor with tiles of equal size requires not only the craftsman's skill but also strict adherence to mathematical principles. The lecture focuses on the mathematical aspects of the tiling process, including: Mathematical representation of single-sided and double-sided tiles; rules for arranging and covering surfaces; the influence of visual rules on artistic effects; classification of tiling styles from a mathematical perspective; "Work locally, think globally" thinking in design and practical application.

Associate Professor Nguyen Hoang Hai (Hanoi National University) gave a lecture on the topic “The role of mathematics in creating and approaching the truth”. He raised questions that seem to belong only to philosophy and science fiction: Is human subjective experience consistent? Can machines possess intuition?

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai, Vice President of Hanoi National University, presented the lecture "The role of mathematics in creating and approaching the truth".

Instead of going into abstract discussions, Associate Professor Nguyen Hoang Hai's lecture focused on two concrete examples, illustrating how mathematics provides new tools and perspectives: Decoding the experience of color and AlphaFold2's "Intuition". The experience of color is a typical example of "qualia", which are subjective feelings that are difficult to describe in words. In the field of artificial intelligence, AlphaFold2, a system capable of predicting protein structures with astonishing accuracy, has made a big splash. This system uses Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA), along with a neural network architecture, allowing AlphaFold2 to "learn" the hidden rules in the data and make accurate predictions, similar to the way human intuition helps us make quick decisions based on experience.

The content conveyed through the two lectures showed that Mathematics is not just about numbers and equations but is a powerful way of thinking, helping people explore complex aspects of the world. Mathematics not only describes reality but also opens up new horizons, shapes the future and promotes unlimited creativity.

Within the framework of the event, the Discussion "Mathematics, Art and Creativity" took place with the participation of Professor, Doctor of Science Ha Huy Khoi, Associate Professor, Doctor Phan Thi Ha Duong, Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Hoang Hai, Doctor Nguyen Phuong Dat and expert Lang Minh.

The seminar focused on exploring the connection between Mathematics, art and creativity, and showed that mathematical thinking is not only useful in science but can also be widely applied in life and management.