maximal surfaces

Maximal surfaces are special types of surfaces in mathematics, particularly in the study of geometry and physics, characterized by having zero mean curvature at every point. In simpler terms, they are surfaces that locally maximize area, similar to how soap films stretch across wireframes to maximize their surface area without collapsing. Unlike minimal surfaces that minimize area (like soap bubbles), maximal surfaces appear in contexts involving spacetime and relativity, where they represent "instant" slices of objects or universes that are as large as possible under certain constraints, often involving the theory of relativity.