Symmetry is all around us. Our eyes and minds are drawn to symmetrical objects, from the pyramid to the pentagon. Of fundamental significance t... read full description
reviews
Mar 17, 2010
Tracey
rated it: 
Symmmetry: A Journey Into the Patterns of Nature shows a lot of potential. There simply aren't many books targeted to a lay audience exploring the complex concept of symmetry. But does Sautoy deliver a successful and accessible tome outlining symmetry and the nature of mathematical patterns?
Pros: Well designed cover; Interesting topic; Fusion of math & memoir
Cons: Condescending tone; Frequent redundancies; Lack of preface
Like most recent science and math bo More...
Pros: Well designed cover; Interesting topic; Fusion of math & memoir
Cons: Condescending tone; Frequent redundancies; Lack of preface
Like most recent science and math bo More...
Jun 07, 2010
christopher
rated it: 
A scattered but decently written tour of group theory, the branch of mathematics that studies symmetry & patterns within symmetrical systems. du Sautoy starts from this example: what sequences of mattress flips [on a mattress whose bottom & top face are identical:] will return the mattress to its original position? Sounds boring enough—and unless you're already a bit mathematically minded, it probably is. But there's a *lot* of structure & interest in the answers, which took mathematicians hundr
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Jul 05, 2009
Jean-claude
rated it: 
This was a fun book. Part autobiography of a mathematician hitting 40, part history lesson of mathematicians with a focus on those who worked in the field of group theory - and part museum tour of cool mathematical objects. Examples include the Monster - an object that exists in 196883 dimensional space and of great importance to group theory - and the proof that hexagonal close packing is not the tightest way to fit 24-dimensional spheres, which amazingly has implications for the transmission
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Feb 04, 2010
Nancy
rated it: 
Math is not a skill or field of knowledge that I ever developed, and parts of this book went way over my head. But overall the author did a good job of making the subject of symmetry and the mathematical language that describes it accessible to the non-mathematician. He told lots of stories from the history of math, and devoted chapters to symmetry in nature, in music, in the human body, and of course, in art. I bought the book for the pictures of the walls of the Alhambra in Spain. I've bee
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Mar 16, 2009
Ben
rated it:
In my ongoing exploration of math history for the sake of my practice as a math teacher, I bought this book because it seemed to have a lot of information on the history of group theory which is one of my favorite topics. Basically, the book is a sort of theme-and-variations on the topic of symmetry, which is one way to look at what group theory is all about. (You could also say that group theory is one way to look at what symmetry is all about.) The chapters weave together three things: the
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Dec 22, 2009
Ed
rated it:
This book is really awesome and goes into a mathemetician's private obsession and delight in symmetry and the drama of the pursuit of a complete catalog of all symmetry types. The Moorish tiles in the Alhambra, the packing of spheres in the 24th dimension, error detection and correction codes, all are connected.
This has about the best explanation for the math loving quasi-layman of the Monster symmetry which emerges from the depths of the 196833rd dimension.
An object wit More...
This has about the best explanation for the math loving quasi-layman of the Monster symmetry which emerges from the depths of the 196833rd dimension.
An object wit More...
Mar 16, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
Sautoy attempts the impossible: bring mathematics to the public. In Symmetry, Sautoy uses examples from his experiences to showcase how mathematics, especially that of group theory, is an integral part of the human experience. Unfortunately, with language of mathematics is necessary for comprehension of any survey literature on the subject.
Apr 07, 2011
Bryan
rated it:
I had already read Marcus du Sautoy's "The Music of the Primes", and liked it a lot. So, I had high expectations of his "Symmetry". I was not disappointed, although he has a very personalized approach to the topic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Highly recommended!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Highly recommended!
Sep 17, 2010
more hokey than math, if you are looking for a really good translation of symmetry notation into reading man's English (like me), well, not so much, but it is forthright and at times amusing
Jul 05, 2011
*heartrl*
rated it:
Battled through some of the abstract math pieces that were definitely above me but really enjoyed the history of the math of symmetry and thought the writing was superb.
Jun 29, 2008
Rod
rated it: 
Symmetry is a big deal in science. I was hoping that this popular-audience book would provide some insights into uses of symmetry in modern physics (i.e., string theory). Unfortunately, this book was more an account of the author's intellectual journey than an overview of the current thinking.
Jun 11, 2008
Tara
rated it:
For a much more mathematical person than myself. The "simple" equations and graphs made my eyes cross! It was fascinating though (the parts I understood) and each mathematical discovery was described in an engaging story-like fashion.
Mar 16, 2008
Lapinova
rated it:
I really loved reading this book. If you like amazing stories and complex maths--you should read this book!
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