Symmetry, reality's riddle - Marcus du Sautoy
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The world turns on symmetry -- from the spin of subatomic particles to the dizzying beauty of an arabesque. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Here, Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy offers a glimpse of the invisible numbers that marry all symmetrical objects. Oxford's newest science ambassador Marcus du Sautoy is also author of The Times' Sexy Maths column. He'll take you footballing with prime numbers, whopping symmetry groups, higher dimensions and other brow-furrowers.
Marcus du Sautoy makes symmetrical objects in high dimensional space, work that bridges math and science. He quotes Galileo, who said, “The universe cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures, without which means it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word.” Are math and science this intimately connected as we learn about them in school? Why or why not?
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- Speaker Marcus du Sautoy
