Minimal surfaces are a special subset of surfaces that have gone through a long and extensive development and have also led to many fruitful findings in mathematics. Several periods that are key to the progression of the theory are coined as Golden Ages for the field’s development. Here, a historical and mathematical development of minimal surface theory is presented that spans from its inception in the late 18th century to the present day. Along with the development, there is an emphasis on showing connections of minimal surfaces to various natural phenomena that occur such as soap films, black holes, biological systems, etc. Lastly, it is discussed briefly where the field is currently and where its future lies beyond.
","abstract_html":"<p>Minimal surfaces are a special subset of surfaces that have gone through a long and extensive development and have also led to many fruitful findings in mathematics. Several periods that are key to the progression of the theory are coined as Golden Ages for the field’s development. Here, a historical and mathematical development of minimal surface theory is presented that spans from its inception in the late 18th century to the present day. Along with the development, there is an emphasis on showing connections of minimal surfaces to various natural phenomena that occur such as soap films, black holes, biological systems, etc. Lastly, it is discussed briefly where the field is currently and where its future lies beyond.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pitts, Timothy"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Mathematics","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Mathematics and Philosophy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Carlos Almada","Dr. Eugen Ionascu","Dr. Timothy Howard"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:45:01Z","subjects":["Minimal Surface Theory","Soap Films","Black Holes","Mathematics","Special Functions"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/389","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Carlos Almada","Dr. Eugen Ionascu","Dr. Timothy Howard"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pitts, Timothy"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-06-22T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mathematics and Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Mathematics"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Minimal Surface Theory","Soap Films","Black Holes","Mathematics","Special Functions"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/389"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Minimal surfaces are a special subset of surfaces that have gone through a long and extensive development and have also led to many fruitful findings in mathematics. Several periods that are key to the progression of the theory are coined as Golden Ages for the field’s development. Here, a historical and mathematical development of minimal surface theory is presented that spans from its inception in the late 18th century to the present day. Along with the development, there is an emphasis on showing connections of minimal surfaces to various natural phenomena that occur such as soap films, black holes, biological systems, etc. Lastly, it is discussed briefly where the field is currently and where its future lies beyond.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Mathematical Development of Minimal Surface Theory: From Soap Films to Black Holes"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Carlos Almada","Dr. Eugen Ionascu","Dr. Timothy Howard"],"dc:creator":["Pitts, Timothy"],"dc:date.available":["2020-06-22T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Minimal surfaces are a special subset of surfaces that have gone through a long and extensive development and have also led to many fruitful findings in mathematics. Several periods that are key to the progression of the theory are coined as Golden Ages for the field’s development. Here, a historical and mathematical development of minimal surface theory is presented that spans from its inception in the late 18th century to the present day. Along with the development, there is an emphasis on showing connections of minimal surfaces to various natural phenomena that occur such as soap films, black holes, biological systems, etc. Lastly, it is discussed briefly where the field is currently and where its future lies beyond.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/389"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["Minimal Surface Theory","Soap Films","Black Holes","Mathematics","Special Functions"],"dc:title":["A Mathematical Development of Minimal Surface Theory: From Soap Films to Black Holes"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mathematics and Philosophy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Mathematics"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:45:01Z"}