12.06 Symmetry: A Bridge Between Art & Science - by Daniel Osmer

Review

This past Thursday Daniel Osmer, normally introducing the Buzz speakers, was himself the speaker. He addressed a topic of long interest to him. He attempted to find a link between between art and science by considering the concept of symmetry. While artists such as Picasso and Escher spring to mind at the mention of symmetry, most non-scientists are less familiar with how quickly the intuitive beauty of the idea becomes hideously abstract as science becomes more mathematical (i.e., physics).

As the audience filtered in to Coffee Catz, they were treated to large scrolls of black paper that the viewer took at first to be Dead Sea scrolls or perhaps Babylonian recipes for making beer. Closer inspection revealed the script to be something resembling English! See photos below.

symmetry: BRIDGE BETWEEN ART & SCIENCE

Three broken Symmetries resulted in the Four Fundamental Forces. Mathematical symmetry plays a fundamental role in both relativity and quantum theory. Sir Isaac Newton is the only scientist to discover essential symmetry concepts in both mathematics and physics. The original universe was a billion times more massive but the near-symmetrical production of matter and anti-matter almost destroyed the whole shebang. The physicist always seeks beauty in the equations. Look carefully. See it?

Algebra translated as Restoration: Mathematicians stumbled upon the concept of Symmetry during the search for a solution to an impossible formula – the 5th power of the unknown – the Quintic equation. Mathematics as a second language. Normally Greek?

Below: The story begins between two rivers (Mesopotamia) where scribes in Babylon solve for the unknown in a word equation. The icosahedron (one of the 5 regular polygons, not the constipated ones)
fascinated the Pythagoreans and was used by the great mathematician, Felix Klein, who used it to create a geometry that Einstein used to support his theory of general relativity.

Science Buzz Cafe # 24 with Daniel Osmer, December 6th, 2007

Science Buzz Cafe # 24 with Daniel Osmer, December 6th, 2007

Science Buzz Cafe # 24 with Daniel Osmer, December 6th, 2007

Preview

The last presentation of the Fall Science Series of Science Buzz Cafe is this Thursday night December 6. SBC host Daniel Osmer will be highlighting the stories of the heroes and heroines of Science and Art - past and present, near and far. Using the theme of symmetry he will take us on a quick tour of the history of an impossible equation that will take us from scribes in Babylon to research physicists at CERN. Bring popcorn. Science Buzz Cafe will begin its third series of 12 Science Buzz Cafe's for the winter that runs through March 13, 2008. On Thursday, December 13 Ed Bauman, Ph.D. of Bauman College, will talk about Emerging Research in Nutrition and Aging. Karen Frindell, Ph.D. will have the last presentation for the year on December 20, 2008 when she presents on the topic of Nanotechnology. We gather once again on January 10, 2008 for Robert Porter, Ph. D. and the Music of the Spheres: The Physics of Music.