http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521173851.htm
Mathematicians Reveal Secrets Of The Ancient And Universal Art Of Symmetry
ScienceDaily (May 24, 2008)
Humans have used symmetrical patterns for thousands of years in both functional and decorative ways. Now, a new book by three
mathematicians offers both math experts and enthusiasts a new way to understand symmetry and a fresh way to see the world.
In The Symmetries of Things, eminent Princeton mathematician John H. Conway teams up with Chaim Goodman-Strauss of the University of
Arkansas and Heidi Burgiel of Bridgewater State College to present a comprehensive mathematical theory of symmetry in a richly
illustrated volume. The book is designed to speak to those with an interest in math, artists, working mathematicians and
researchers.
Symmetry and pattern are fundamentally human preoccupations in the same way that language and rhythm are. Any culture that is
making anything has ornament and is preoccupied with this visual rhythm, Goodman-Strauss said. There are actually Neolithic
examples of many of these patterns. The fish-scale pattern, for example, is 22,000 years old and shows up all over the world in all
kinds of contexts.
Symmetrical objects and patterns are everywhere. In nature, there are flowers composed of repeating shapes that rotate around a
central point. Architects trim buildings with friezes that repeat design elements over and over.
Mathematicians, according to Goodman-Strauss, are latecomers to the human fascination with pattern. While mathematicians bring their
own particular concerns, were also able to say things that other people might not be able to say.
