How has mathematics shaped our world?
Our bold and thought-provoking gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, examines the fundamental role mathematicians, their tools and ideas have played in building the world we live in.
From war and peace to life, death, money, trade and beauty, the objects in Mathematics: The Winton Gallery reveal how mathematics connects to every aspect of our lives.
Planning a school visit? Find out more information about the gallery for educational groups.
Highlights
Mathematics: The Winton Gallery tells powerful stories about the work of mathematicians in the broadest sense, from salespeople to sailors, aircraft engineers to bankers, and gamblers to garden designers.
These stories span 400 years of human ingenuity from the renaissance to the present day, with objects ranging from intriguing hand-held mathematical instruments to a 1929 experimental aircraft.
Objects on display
See all the objects on display in the gallery in our online collection.
Architecture
Dame Zaha Hadid trained first in mathematics before studying architecture, and the work of her practice is strongly informed by ideas about geometry.
The curved overhead structure and layout of the gallery represents airflow around the Handley Page aircraft suspended at its centre. The design was driven by equations of airflow used in the aviation industry, which are still an important area of mathematical research.
Patrik Schumacher talks about the inspiration for the design of the gallery