“In 1993, two computer scientists devised a Java applet (PDF) to make energy fields not only visible, but really rad-looking. Each year, John Belcher at MIT holds the ‘Weird Fields’ contest among his physics students to see who can use the program to create the most aesthetically pleasing image by writing simple formulas for electromagnetism.” The point isn’t to create the most useful or efficient formula – just to come up with the one that looks the best. So what’s the point? None, really, but Belcher believes firmly that his students benefit from a well-rounded approach to the world, and if that means using science to get them to create art, so be it.