Symmetry: And the Beautiful Universe

Science News, Nov 13, 2004

LEON M. LEDERMAN AND CHRISTOPHER T. HILL

The idea of symmetry pervades the arts as well as the sciences. A flower's petals, a radiating seashell, a snowflake, a drumbeat, and a melody all exhibit symmetry. On a much larger scale, physicists observe symmetry in distant galaxies. As Lederman and Hill explain, such an approach to the physical world dates to ancient times. Symmetry was a tool used by ancient Greeks to determine that Earth is a sphere. Since then, mathematicians have developed a systematic way of thinking about symmetries. This idea, known as group theory, helps physicists understand concepts from elementary-particle dynamics to superstring theory. Lederman and Hill track the history of symmetry to explore the ways in which it defines our very existence. This is a scholarly text for readers with some background in the subject. Prometheus Bks, 2004, 363 p., b&w photos/illus.,

hardcover, $29.00.