Source: BBC

There is a lot of beauty in mathematical equations. They represent some of the most profound rules that govern the Universe and everything in it.

Understanding the most profound equations takes years of training, and many of them are so complex that they are hard to convey in normal language. However, that does not mean we cannot all appreciate their beauty.

BBC Earth asked mathematicians and physicists to tell us which equations they think are the most beautiful. Their choices range from explanations of antimatter to predicting how sub-atomic particles behave.

Explore the 12 equations below, and vote for your favourite in our poll below.

The Dirac equation

Riemann’s formula

Pi

The Euler-Lagrange equation

The Yang-Baxter equation

Euler’s identity

Bayes’s theorem

The wave equation

Einstein’s field equation

The logistic map

A “simple” arithmetic progression

Hamilton’s quaternion formula

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