Minimal surface

Imagine taking a piece of paper and bending it so that it's curved in some way. Maybe you fold it in half or crumple it up. If you look closely at the paper, you'll notice that there are parts of it that are flat or smooth. These are called minimal surfaces.

Basically, minimal surfaces are surfaces that have the least amount of surface area for a given shape. Think of it this way: if you have a rubber band, you can stretch it out to make lots of different shapes. But if you want to find the shape with the least surface area, you need to find the one that uses the least amount of rubber band.

Mathematicians study minimal surfaces because they're interested in how shapes can be bent or twisted to minimize their surface area. They use complicated equations and computer programs to figure out the best way to do this. It might seem like a small thing, but understanding minimal surfaces can help us make better materials, build stronger structures, and even design more efficient systems for transportation and communication.