Pattern and symmetry are as ancient as rhythm and
language, and appear in virtually every human culture
(1). Symmetry surrounds us, both in
the natural world and in the world of human artifact. As you walk
around in the coming week or two, be aware of the patterns surrounding
you-- the arrangement of needles on a pine tree, the spokes of a
hubcap, the vortices in the Mississipi River, the slats in a set of
blinds...
Mathematicians are relative newcomers to the symmetry game, and certainly have their own set of preoccupations, but offer an extremely useful, beautiful, and even surprising view.
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Author: Heidi Burgiel, adapted from notes
used in Math 5337, Spring 1995 by Chaim
Goodman-Strauss.
Comments to:
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Created: Dec 7 1995 ---
Last modified: Tue May 6 19:44:29 1997
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