This book grew out of a short series of lectures on symmetry, aimed at a general scientific audience, given by the author at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, in October 1989. Using only elementary mathematics, he discusses the subtle relation between physical object, models and icons, and explains some of the so-called "symmetry paradoxes". Each of the three chapters uses a case-study to show the development, through both historical and physical ideas, of how some of the major concepts of symmetry became ...
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This book grew out of a short series of lectures on symmetry, aimed at a general scientific audience, given by the author at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, in October 1989. Using only elementary mathematics, he discusses the subtle relation between physical object, models and icons, and explains some of the so-called "symmetry paradoxes". Each of the three chapters uses a case-study to show the development, through both historical and physical ideas, of how some of the major concepts of symmetry became established. The concept and importance of an icon are illustrated in the first two chapters: in Chapter 1 the origins and applications of symmetry are illustrated with the famous Orsted paradox of the interaction between the magnetic needle and the electric current. Chapter 2 deals with rotations and the way in which Hamilton tried to describe them by means of quaternions - this gives an insight into the symmetry properties of vectors, and shows the way in which tensors and spinors gradually moved into the picture. Chapter 3 illustrates the use of symmetry in the classification of energy levels in atoms and solids and discusses broken symmetry.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good Dust Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. pp. 164. 164 pp. Tightly bound. Corners not bumped. Text is free of markings. No ownership markings. Very good dust jacket. Light foxing top fore-edge.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in near fine jacket. First edition, 1992. Hardcover in dust jacket, 104 pp., clean unmarked text, Near Fine copy in Near Fine dust jacket, owner's signature on the front flyleaf, a bit of creasing or wear to the edges of the dust jacket. Dust jacket housed in archival dust jacket protector.
