The images in the gallery are not intended as illustrations of mathematical facts. They more than fulfill their purpose if people see them and can feel some of the intriguing enchantment that a mathematician feels when exploring the mathematical objects.

A minimal surface is formed when the pressure on both sides of a surface is the same. 'For example, when you dip a bent coat hanger into soapy water, the soap bubble that forms on the hanger is a minimal surface.

It's easy to come up with one new example of a minimal surface, but this one is of a very different nature than others that have been found before. So it's opened a new field within the theory of minimal surfaces.

This is the most comprehensive collection of minimal surfaces available. Users can download programs that recreate the surfaces, allowing them to conduct numerical and visual experiments.