Fearful Symmetry: Is God a Geometer?

Description

“Fearful Symetry is far and away the most informative and up-to-date book yet on the topic…entertainingly written and lavishly illustrated.” —Martin Gardner in theNew York Review of Books InDoes God Play Dice?Ian Stewart mad accessible a new field of mathematics: the turbulent systems described by chaos theory. Now, in this lively and fascinating account, Ian Stewart and Martin Golubitsky explore the even more fundamental concept of symetry. Symmetric cause can have asymmetric effects. This paradox is called symmetry-breaking, and the extraordinary discoveries of recent years have shown that it plays a major role in the formation of patterns commonly present in everyday life. Starting with an analysis of the different forms of symmetry, the authors show how a few key principles can help us understand everything from cats' movements, corn circles and snow crystals to subatomic particles and the overall structure of the cosmos. If, as Plato believed, “God ever geometrizes”, He (or She) must have a deep interest in slightly distorted symmetry; the startling implications are drawn out in this though-provoking book. (Back Cover) Starting with an analysis of the forms of symmetry, the authors show how a few key principles can help us understand everything from cat's movements, corn circles, and snow crystals to subatomic particles and the overall structure of the cosmos. 127 figures. of full-color illustrations.