|
The idea that an object's appearance can
remain the same after some soft of physical change is both
aesthetically pleasing and mathematically interesting, whether
one is observing a delicate snowflake or appreciating a
majestic Bach organ fugue. Yet in the twentieth century,
humans discovered that this principle means a great deal
more -- the very structure of nature depends on it.
When scientists peer through telescopes
at distant galaxies or use gigantic particle accelerators
to examine the fabric of matter, they find universal and
steadfast laws of physics governing the whole universe,
at all times and places. Physicists recognize this as a
form of symmetry, which is now believed to be the basic
underlying principle that controls the universe. This insight
is one of the greatest conceptual breakthroughs of modern
science and drives the contemporary effort to discover a
grand unification of all the laws of physics, such as superstring
theory.
In Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe,
Nobel laureate Leon M. Lederman and theoretical physicist
Christopher T. Hill explain the elegant concept of symmetry
and its profound ramifications for art, music, and life
on Earth, from quarks to the universe at large. This eloquent
and accessible work of popular science not only illuminates
concepts normally reserved only for physicists and mathematicians
but also portrays the profound beauty of nature's inherent
design.
Central to the story of symmetry is an ascetic,
unpretentious, and gifted mathematician named Emmy Noether.
Though still little known to the world, she dazzled no less
a savant than Albert Einstein, who praised her "penetrating,
mathematical thinking." She proved that the law of
the conservation of energy is centrally connected to the
idea of symmetry and time and laid the groundwork for the
most important conceptual revolution of modern physics.
Lederman and Hill reveal concepts about
the universe, based on Noether's work, that are largely
unknown to the public yet have wide-ranging implications
for the big bang. Einstein's theory of relativity, quantum
mechanics, and many other areas of physics. Through ingenious
analogies and illustrations, they bring these astounding
notions to life. This book will open your eyes to a universe
you never knew existed.
Leon M. Lederman, Ph.D., Nobel laureate,
is resident scholar for the Great Minds Program of the Illinois
Mathematics and Science Academy, director emeritus of the
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Pritzker Professor
of Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and
author of the highly acclaimed book The God Particle.
Christopher T. Hill, Ph.D., is a leading
theoretical elementary-particle physicist, head of the Theoretical
Physics Department at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory,
and a fellow of the American Physical Society. Formerly,
he was an adjunct professor of physics and a visiting scholar
at the University of Chicago and a visiting scholar at Oxford
University. He has written over one hundred papers in theoretical
physics and cosmology.
|
