Symmetry: A Very Short Introduction (Stewart)

Author: Ian Stewart

ISBN: 9780199651986

Binding: paperback

Section: Math

Fundamental physics is governed by symmetries in the laws of nature -- Einstein's point that the laws should be the same at all locations and all times. In this Very Short Introduction, Ian Stewart demonstrates symmetry's deep implications, showing how it even plays a major role in the current search to unify relativity and quantum theory. He describes how symmetry's applications range across the entire field of mathematics and how symmetry governs the structure of crystals, innumerable types of pattern formation, and how systems change their state as parameters vary.