{"product_id":"why-beauty-is-truth-a-history-of-symmetry-9780465082377","title":"Why Beauty Is Truth: A History of Symmetry","description":"At the heart of relativity theory, quantum mechanics, string theory, and much of modern cosmology lies one concept: symmetry. \u003ci\u003eIn Why Beauty Is Truth\u003c\/i\u003e, world-famous mathematician Ian Stewart narrates the history of the emergence of this remarkable area of study. Stewart introduces us to such characters as the Renaissance Italian genius, rogue, scholar, and gambler Girolamo Cardano, who stole the modern method of solving cubic equations and published it in the first important book on algebra, and the young revolutionary Evariste Galois, who refashioned the whole of mathematics and founded the field of group theory only to die in a pointless duel over a woman before his work was published. Stewart also explores the strange numerology of real mathematics, in which particular numbers have unique and unpredictable properties related to symmetry. He shows how Wilhelm Killing discovered \"Lie groups\" with 14, 52, 78, 133, and 248 dimensions-groups whose very existence is a profound puzzle. Finally, Stewart describes the world beyond superstrings: the \"octonionic\" symmetries that may explain the very existence of the universe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIan Stewart\u003c\/b\u003e is emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick. His recent books include \u003ci\u003eCalculating the Cosmos, Significant Figures, In Pursuit of the Unknown\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eProfessor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures\u003c\/i\u003e. He is a fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in Coventry, UK.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50503378174226,"sku":"9780465082377","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ee21f52f-2df6-4845-917a-a5a310c392da.jpg?v=1730789786","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/why-beauty-is-truth-a-history-of-symmetry-9780465082377","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}