Euler's Cat

Video: Graph theorist Trixie playing with the Bridges of Cätisberg cat toy (see below)

Our pastel depicts a fictionalized version of Leonhard Euler’s 18th-century study in St. Petersburg, Russia. Components of the piece include pages depicting two important formulas associated with Euler (the polyhedral formula V — E + F = 2 and the complex analysis formula exp(i𝜃)= cos 𝜃 + i sin 𝜃); various polyhedra; and an imagined Eulerian feline companion playing with a Königsberg Bridge-inspired cat toy. Also included is a snuffed-out candle, a traditional element of vanitas paintings symbolizing the transience of life: this, juxtaposed with the results of Euler’s work, emphasizes the fact that while earthly life is transient, one’s contribution to the world—in this case, Euler’s mathematical work—is eternal.