Building on the foundation of the Second Edition, Symmetry and Structure: Readable Group Theory for Chemists, Third Edition turns the complex and potentially difficult subject of group theory into an accessible and readable account of this core area of chemistry. By using a diagrammatical approach and demonstrating the physical principles involved in understanding group theory, the text provides a non-mathematical, yet thorough, treatment of this broad topic. This new edition has been fully revised and updated to include a much more three-dimensional and accurate visualization of many of the key topics. The chapter on octahedral molecules is extended to cover the important topic of the ligand field theory of octahedral transition metal complexes. Problems and summaries are included at the end of each chapter, the book provides detailed answers to frequently asked questions, and numerous diagrams and tables are featured for ease of reading and to enhance student understanding. Symmetry and Structure: Readable Group Theory for Chemists, Third Edition is an essential textbook for all students, researchers and lecturers in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, physics and material science.

This book on symmetric geometric patterns of Islamic art has educational, aesthetic, cultural and practical purposes. Its central purpose is to bring to the attention of the world in general, and the people of Islamic culture in particular, the potential of the art for providing a unified experience of science and art in the context of mathematical education. Unlike other books on Islamic patterns, this book emphasizes the educational potential in the context of modern physics, chemistry, crystallography and computer graphics. The symmetric structure of about 250 Islamic patterns is presented. Simple, but detailed original, unpublished algorithms suitable for modern computer graphics are given for the construction of two-dimensional periodic patterns. Endorsed by prominent experts from the fields of Physics to Systems and Cybernetics, this book promises to be a must-read, not only for specialised mathematicians, but also for students, graphic artists, illustrators, computer hobbyists, as well as the lay reader keen to explore Islamic art.

Serious visual artists can now easily understand and apply the secret geometry that masters used to create remarkable art. Superior mathematical skills aren’t required because there are hundreds of excellent step-by-step diagrams to explain everything with simplicity. Learn how the ancient and modern masters used dynamic symmetry to promote unity, movement, rhythm, and strength. These qualities, along with many others, allowed their art to have visual clarity, impact, and stand the test of time. This is an essential book for painters, photographers, sculptors, and cinematographers that hold composition and design with a high priority. For far too long, artists have been stuck with the basic tools of artistic composition, like the rule of thirds and leading lines. Unfortunately, we’re incapable of reaching the master level if all we know are the basics. Powerful tools like dynamic symmetry and other composition techniques have been kept a secret from all of us. It’s time to learn of them, push past any plateau that stands in our way, and finally unlock our true potential!

This book brings together philosophical discussions of symmetry in physics, highlighting the main issues and controversies. It covers all the fundamental symmetries of modern physics, as well as discussing symmetry-breaking and general interpretational issues. For each topic, classic texts are followed by review articles and short commentaries.

Everyone knows that symmetry is fundamentally important in physics. On one hand, the symmetry of a system is often the starting point for general physical considerations, and on the other hand, particular problems may be solved in simpler and more elegant ways if symmetry is taken into account. This book presents the underlying theories of symmetry and gives examples of their application in branches of physics ranging from solid-state to high-energy physics via atomic and molecular physics. The text is as self-contained as possible, with as much mathematical formalism given as required. The main emphasis is on the theory of group representations and on the method of projection operators, this is a very powerful tool which is often treated only very briefly. Discrete symmetries, continuous symmetries and symmetry breaking are also discussed, and exercises are provided to stimulate the reader to carry out original work.

Symmetries, coupled with the mathematical concept of group theory, are an essential conceptual backbone in the formulation of quantum field theories capable of describing the world of elementary particles. This primer is an introduction to and survey of the underlying concepts and structures needed in order to understand and handle these powerful tools. Specifically, in Part I of the book the symmetries and related group theoretical structures of the Minkowskian space-time manifold are analyzed, while Part II examines the internal symmetries and their related unitary groups, where the interactions between fundamental particles are encoded as we know them from the present standard model of particle physics. This book, based on several courses given by the authors, addresses advanced graduate students and non-specialist researchers wishing to enter active research in the field, and having a working knowledge of classical field theory and relativistic quantum mechanics. Numerous end-of-chapter problems and their solutions will facilitate the use of this book as self-study guide or as course book for topical lectures.

In the course of the development of electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions, the concept of (internal) gauge invariance grew up and established itself as an unavoidable dynamical principle in particle physics. It is less known that the principle of equivalence, and the basic dynamical properties of the gravitational interaction can also be ex