tricky to transpose, but here goes..
early neolithic sculptures in regular forms, cognitive recognition of
symmmetric forms (by animals/humans and artists), cuniform, babylonian
maths and greek geometry, methods for solving (and working out)
quadratic and cubic equations (respectively) - (method and conic
sections), algebra in place of derived solution tables, mathematical
transformations and group theory (*no transformation is part of the
subset of symmetrical transformations, or 'operations' - nothing is
something.. ), the alhambra, bell ringing, the lack of a solution for
quintic equations and 'atoms' of symmetry - shapes divided by shapes,
indivisible symmetries
phew.. i won't start on the last 20 minutes and misquote einstein :)
On 19 Apr 2007, at 23:22, @-_q @@ wrote:
neil, if you go,
could you write just a little bit of what you heard there?
(pleasepleaseplease)
neil jenkins escribió:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/
inourtime_20070419-0900_40_st.mp3
-->
SYMMETRY
Today we will be discussing symmetry, from the most perfect forms in
nature, like the snowflake and the butterfly, to our perceptions of
beauty in the human face. There's symmetry too in most of the laws
that govern our physical world.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle described symmetry as one of the
greatest forms of beauty to be found in the mathematical sciences,
while the French poet Paul Valery went further, declaring; “The
universe is built on a plan, the profound symmetry of which is
somehow present in the inner structure of our intellect”.
The story of symmetry tracks an extraordinary shift from its role as
an aesthetic model - found in the tiles in the Alhambra and Bach's
compositions - to becoming a key tool to understanding how the
physical world works. It provides a major breakthrough in mathematics
with the development of group theory in the 19th century. And it is
the unexpected breakdown of symmetry at sub-atomic level that is so
tantalising for contemporary quantum physicists.
So why is symmetry so prevalent and appealing in both art and nature?
How does symmetry enable us to grapple with monstrous numbers? And
how might symmetry contribute to the elusive Theory of Everything?
Contributors
Fay Dowker, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College, London
Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford
Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick
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