For Valentine’s Day, here’s Chuck Jones’ 1965 animated short ‘The Dot + The Line, A Romance In Lower Mathematics’, a true classic + one of my favorite love stories. Luckily, this story can be referenced over + over, in its book form below.
The story, penned by architect + author Norton Juster, is about how a straight line falls hopelessly in love with a dot. The dot finding the line so stiff prefers a squiggle. The line then tries to do whatever he can to compete + manages to bend into an angle. The line works to refine this new ability, creating shapes so complex that it has to label its sides + angles to keep its place. The dot then realizes the squiggle was nothing but chaos + then runs off with the line.
I’m sure we’ve all been there!
Enjoy!