For most people, the word “symmetry” evokes memories of making paper snowflakes or learning about isosceles triangles in their high school. So quite often, when I tell peers that my research involves symmetry, the most common reaction is to ask “Why are you interested in a subject like this?” or “What relevance does this have to the modern world?”.
This talk aims to answer these questions by introducing the field of mathematics which studies symmetry- group theory, and discussing why it has pertained such a large field of mathematics, and the broad applications throughout science.
Besides being useful and interesting, symmetry has remained important globally in creating architecture, design and art. This led the mathematician Ian Stewart to call Group Theory, “the study of beauty."