| What I see in the mirror: Marcus Du Sautoy 'It is a myth that mathematicians are all too busy contemplating the mysteries of prime numbers that we don't notice what we look like'When I look in the mirror, I see a 10cm scar across my brow. It's new and I'm still getting used to it. Very conveniently, it runs the length of my left eyebrow but, to my eyes, it makes my face look very asymmetrical. As a mathematician who researches symmetry, this has caused me a huge amount of anxiety. Studies show that we are drawn to faces that are more symmetrical because it is an indicator of good genetic heritage. Bottom line, symmetry = beauty.I got the scar after I clashed heads with a Swedish novelist in a recent tournament for the England Writers Football Team. Playing football is my way of keeping fit. I don't work out but I jog, partly because I find the exercise gives my brain room to allow my subconscious to explore the latest problem I'm working on. Coffee and chocolate are my other key ingredients in proving mathematical theorems, but I'm conscious of what I look like in the mirror enough not to overdose on the chocolate.I guess what other people expect to see if they were looking at a mathematician in the mirror is a bearded, bespectacled man with wild hair sprouting in every direction. My department does have those who conform to this 19th-century stereotype, but a good proportion don't. It is a myth that we're all too busy contemplating the mysteries of prime numbers to notice what we look like. As one of the public faces of my subject, I am keen to contradict people's preconceived idea of what a mathematician looks like.BeautyMarcus du SautoyMathematicsPeople in scienceguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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