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Why Beauty is Truth - A short history of symmetry

In this podcast series Professor Ian Stewart of Warwick's Department of Mathematics explores the history of symmetry and its impact on mathematics, physics and our understanding of the Universe.

  1. Introducing Symmetry
  2. Babylonian and Greek mathematics and the role of Omar Khayyam
  3. Competitive mathematics in Renaissance Italy
  4. Évariste Galois - the failed revolutionary
  5. Physicists start to notice and Einstein changes everything
  6. Symmetry and Quantum Mechanics
  7. Symmetry, string theory and an equation for everything (plus - could we be living in an asymmetrical universe?)

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Competitive mathematics in Renaissance Italy

09:05, Tue 8 May 2007

In this episode Professor Ian Stewart describes how the scandalous world of competitive mathematics in renaissance Italy encouraged the development of our understanding of equations, algebra and laid the foundations for our modern understanding of symmetry.

(MP3 format, 13 MB)

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A short history of symmetry

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Professor Ian Stewart's book, Why Beauty is Truth , is published by Basic Books inc.