Symmetry is all around us. Of great importance for our interpretation of the world, this unique phenomenon indicates a dynamic relationship between objects. In chemistry and physics, the concept of symmetry explains the structures of crystals and the theory of fundamental particles; in evolutionary biology, the natural world uses symmetry in the struggle for survival; symmetry (and the rupture of it) is central in art, architecture and music. This talk offers a very special view of the concept, seen from the point of view of a mathematician. Marcus du Sautoy is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and has been a visiting lecturer at institutions such as the Collège de France, the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, the Max Planck Institute in Bonn and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A regular contributor to both written and audiovisual media, he has published
The Music of the Primes (2003) and
Symmetry (2008).
With the support of the British Council
