Sharing the Beauty of Mathematics

摘要

Answering this deceptively simplequestion is not the most difficult taskput to those elected to lead the AmericanMathematical Society for their respective2-year terms, but it’s one that each AMSpresident takes on as part of a decades-oldtradition. The idea is simple: AMS asks itspresidents to provide their “mathematicalsignature”—usually, but not always, anequation or geometrical representation ofa problem they’ve worked on. This signatureis developed into a piece of artworkfor display in the president’s office at AMSheadquarters in Providence during his orher term. At the end of their term, the outgoingpresident is given the framed pieceas a symbol of the society’s appreciationfor their service.