Abstract
Symmetry is a concept very natural to man. The marvellous exhibition at Mathildenhöhe reveals its importance in Art. During this colloquium we have heard of its role in many human activities. It is fundamental in Science. I will make a quick survey of the history of symmetry in Physics (not in chronological order!). Indeed the study of the symmetry of physical states leads physicists to make predictions and new discoveries. However, it is much more important to follow man’s unending quest to discover the deep hidden symmetries of the laws of physics.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
It has ten parameters: 3 for translations (the 3 components of the translation vector), 3 for rotations (2 for the direction of the rotation axis, 1 for the rotation angle), 1 for time translation, and 3 for the 3 components of the relative velocity of the reference frame.
As we shall see later, Maxwellian theory has a larger symmetry group. Relativistic effects appear only for velocities not negligible with respect to c, the velocity of light. This does not happen for we humans, in everyday life, but it is common for cosmic rays, for accelerator beams, for electrons emitted in β-decay or even those in a television tube (an electron accelerated to 25 000 volts acquires a velocity v = c/10). Figure 2 depicts another relativistic effect. Let θ be the angle between the trajectories of two particles with the same mass m, after an elastic collision, where one particle was originally at rest and the other had velocity v. When v/c is negligible, θ = 90° (check it with billiard balls!). When v/c is no longer negligible, θ depends on v and on η, the difference in energy between the two particles, and it is a minimum when η = 0 (the initial direction is the bisector of the angle between the two final directions). So, in any case.
Starlight deflection by the sun, predicted by Einstein, was observed in a 1919 solar eclipse. Within the last five years double images of five quasars have been observed; they are due to partial light refraction by interposed galaxies!
Also published in 1905, while Einstein was still working at the patent office in Berne!
Proton microscopes have also been made; neutron diffraction is a necessary complement to x-ray diffraction for studying the structure of crystals, liquid crystals, proteins, etc. Recently, at Saclay, wave interferences have been observed between beams of neon atoms.
Why the pure imaginary \(\sqrt{-1}\) appears in quantum mechanics is well worth another lecture.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Michel, L. (1988). Symmetry in Physics. In: Wille, R. (eds) Symmetrie in Geistes- und Naturwissenschaft. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71452-8_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71452-8_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-16909-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-71452-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive