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30+ Must Watch Mathematics Movies

According to history, the film is the most expressive form of public communication. A large projector is a valuable tool for engaging the audience with motion, whether to convey patriotism or anxiety. 

However, some films offer more than just an emotional experience; these films fall under the category of instructional or educational films. 

Let's investigate some of the most astounding films ever produced and offer a window into the realm of numbers, the best math movies ever!

Top 10 Must-Watch Mathematics Movies

Stand and Deliver

The 1988 American drama Stand and Deliver based on the real-life experiences of Jaime Escalante, a high school math instructor. The film, which stars Edward James as Jaime, depicts Latino kids' difficulties in receiving a foundational education due to many societal norms and prejudices. As the pupils get ready to take AP Calculus at higher studies, the teacher perseveres, helping them ace their personal and school assessments. One of the most motivational films about mathematics, showing how a committed teacher can influence the lives of his pupils.

21

The 2008 film 21 centres on Ben Campbell, an MIT student and mathematical prodigy who aspires to attend the Harvard School of Medicine. He develops a strategy for winning at Blackjack with the help of his professor that involves counting cards and applying fundamental probability to win consistently. This film emphasises the protagonist's personal development while showcasing the beauties of mathematics through applications to real-world situations. This mathematics film is a must-see for anyone who likes gambling and probability.

The Theory of Everything

This movie was released in 2014.  The life of Stephen Hawking is one of our time's brightest minds. The film traces Stephen Hawking's academic career at Cambridge, where he studied to conduct advanced research on the cosmos. His personal and professional lives are shown to be closely entwined, and it is revealed that the love of his life chose to marry him despite though the doctors only expected him to live for two years at most. This Mathematics movie is a must-watch for everyone who wishes to view the world through the lenses of the greatest cosmologist of the modern era.

The man who knew Infinity

In India, hardly a single mathematics student is unacquainted with the name S. Ramanujan. Amid World War 1, Ramanujan, raised in a small Indian hamlet, receives a life-changing admission to Cambridge University. While battling the racial discrimination pervasive in society at the time, Ramanujan stunned the entire Western world with his mathematical theories with the assistance of his professor G.H. Hardy. But at the young age of 41, he passes away from respiratory illnesses brought on by climate change and social estrangement. This film is a must-see for everyone interested in watching mathematical movies and those looking for a tale of adversity, perseverance, and supreme talent.

The Calculus of Love

This 15-minute short film, written and directed by Dan Clifton, stars Keith Allen as mathematician AG Bowers and investigates the 250-year-old Goldbach Conjecture conundrum. In the movie, the mathematician dedicates his entire life to solving the problem after AG Bowers begins to get anonymous letters that give away the answer. The movie, despite being brief, is one of the most impressive in mathematics because it not only introduces viewers to a fascinating mathematical topic but also reveals Bowers's inner drive to win honour by concluding the problem.

Travelling Salesman

The 2012 film "Travelling Salesman" refers to the well-known P vs NP mathematics conundrum. To answer this equation, the US Government assembles four eminent mathematicians and tries to buy off each of them into selling their respective components. The offer presents the mathematicians with a severe moral problem because they feel that the one algorithm mathematical solution can alter how the world functions, allowing the USA almost unlimited access to any data on the earth. The movie touches on the human mind and ethical concerns despite having a mathematical equation at its core. One of the most honoured films in the history of mathematics, this film was nominated for and won the Best Feature Film prize at the Silicon Valley Film Festival in 2012.

Good Will Hunting

It is a well-known 1997 motion picture starring Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Robin Williams, and is still in theatres today. Will Hunting, played by Damon, is an MIT janitor and mathematical prodigy. When the professor discovers Will completing a complex arithmetic problem that no one else in his class could, he immediately recognises Will's intelligence. The Professor then sets out on a mission to assist Will in releasing his suppressed emotions and concerns so that he might gain the respect he deserves. Like most math-related movies, it explores the protagonist's mathematical prowess while touching on delicate human nature, psychology, and child abuse issues. And rightfully so, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck took home the Best Screenplay prizes from the Academy and the Golden Globes.

A Beautiful Mind

It is a dramatisation of the life of famed American mathematician John Nash, published in 2001. Throughout his college career, Nash seeks to post his idea as a work submission to establish a reputation for himself. Soon after, he develops paranoid schizophrenia, which causes him to see and interact with fictitious individuals. His personal and professional lives are severely strained due to his condition-related outbursts. He works in the area of mathematics vehicles dealing with his problems but refuses to take medicine. The movie finishes with Nash winning the Nobel Prize for his significant contributions to game theory, demonstrating that he achieved his most important goal of becoming someone who matters. The film is undoubtedly one of the best Mathematics films ever made because it not only provides a detailed look at the life of a mathematician but also masterfully captures Nash's daily challenges.

N is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdös

Paul Erdos, a prominent mathematician, noted for his contributions to number theory, combinatorics, and probability, is the subject of the documentary N is a Number. The 58-minute film, which George Csicsery both produced and directed, recounts the mathematician's personal life and his different contributions. Paul, who was very committed to studying mathematics, is claimed to have worked on his studies for more than 20 hours per week, which resulted in a staggering number of research papers that he published—probably more than 1500.

The Imitation Game

It is a 2014 film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the legendary cryptographer Alan Turing; it centres on Alan's early years and the occasions that first piqued his interest in cryptography. British Intelligence failed to develop a decryption system in response to the ground-breaking German Enigma machine during the Second World War. This resulted in Alan being accepted into the cryptography team, where he created a device employing his expertise in cryptography and mathematics that could easily decrypt German signals. Because of the superiority of his work, the ancient "Turing Machine" gave rise to the modern computers we use today. This film explores the many facets of the life of an unsung military hero who was forced to kill himself due to homophobia in society, prompting us to consider what factors are most important for promoting human welfare.

Other best Must watch Mathematics movies.

  • A Brief History of Time
  • Sneakers
  • Hidden Figures
  • Infinity
  • Cube
  • Pi
  • Proof
  • Agora
  • Money Ball
  • X+Y
  • Gifted
  • A Brilliant Young Mind
  • Codebreaker
  • Fermat’s Room
  • The Oxford’s Murders
  • Enigma
  • Moebius
  • Mr Nobody
  • Queen of Katwe
  • The Martian
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