Symmetries And Reflections

This book brings together philosophical discussions of symmetry in physics, highlighting the main issues and controversies. It covers all the fundamental symmetries of modern physics, as well as discussing symmetry-breaking and general interpretational issues. For each topic, classic texts are followed by review articles and short commentaries.

From ancient philosophy to the big bang, quantum physics, and cosmology, Titus Joseph takes us on a mind-stretching journey through time and space to unveil a new law, positional symmetry (requisite mirror image), that explains how all things come into existence through the curious symmetries found everywhere in nature. This exciting new model of the universe draws on concepts from ancient philosophy and weaves together quantum mechanics with relativity, through the observable symmetries found in nature. Our Curious World of Mirror Images sheds new light on what it means to be human in a world in which all things are interrelated. - Introducing a whole new way of looking at our world - A universal theory combining profound scientific facts seamlessly with philosophy - Written in an easy to read format with many illustrations so that anyone may understand - Reconciles the intractable problem of duality - Marries quantum theory with relativity in a relationship that works to explain reality - Provides a compelling account of spacetime that makes sense of the arrow of time - Demonstrates how all things come into being - Provides a broad overview of the cosmos as a whole entity - An eye-opener to the meaning of God - Reconciles eastern paradigms with western views - This book could change the way you see the world

In the 1800s mathematicians introduced a formal theory of symmetry: group theory. Now a branch of abstract algebra, this subject first arose in the theory of equations. Symmetry is an immensely important concept in mathematics and throughout the sciences, and its applications range across the entire subject. Symmetry governs the structure of crystals, innumerable types of pattern formation, how systems change their state as parameters vary; and fundamental physics is governed by symmetries in the laws of nature. It is highly visual, with applications that include animal markings, locomotion, evolutionary biology, elastic buckling, waves, the shape of the Earth, and the form of galaxies. In this Very Short Introduction, Ian Stewart demonstrates its deep implications, and shows how it plays a major role in the current search to unify relativity and quantum theory. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

A coloring book that invites readers to explore symmetry and the beauty of math visually. Beautiful Symmetry is a coloring book about math, inviting us to engage with mathematical concepts visually through coloring challenges and visual puzzles. We can explore symmetry and the beauty of mathematics playfully, coloring through ideas usually reserved for advanced courses. The book is for children and adults, for math nerds and math avoiders, for educators, students, and coloring enthusiasts. Through illustration, language that is visual, and words that are jargon-free, the book introduces group theory as the mathematical foundation for discussions of symmetry, covering symmetry groups that include the cyclic groups, frieze groups, and wallpaper groups. The illustrations are drawn by algorithms, following the symmetry rules for each given group. The coloring challenges can be completed and fully realized only on the page; solutions are provided. Online, in a complementary digital edition, the illustrations come to life with animated interactions that show the symmetries that generated them. Traditional math curricula focus on arithmetic and the manipulation of numbers, and may make some learners feel that math is not for them. By offering a more visual and tactile approach, this book shows how math can be for everyone. Combining the playful and the pedagogical, Beautiful Symmetry offers both relaxing entertainment for recreational colorers and a resource for math-curious readers, students, and educators.