DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY, the famous Harvard mathematician George David Birkhoff developed a mathematical formula which he believed could be used to gauge how beautiful and appealing a work of art was.
Birkhoff's formula relied on two abstract concepts: complexity and order (or symmetry). According to Birkhoff, if something is complex, it will be more appealing if it is less symmetrical. Alternatively, if something is highly-symmetrical, it is better if it is less complex.
The formula seemed to make sense in theory, but there was one major problem: how to measure complexity and symmetry? Birkhoff claimed there was a way to do this, but his methods were too subjective for most people's tastes and his formula was soon forgotten.
Read more: Symmetry in Nature: Fundamental Fact or Human Bias? | LiveScience
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