Reflections on symmetry

by Edgar Heilbronner

"Heilbronner and Dunitz are both professors of chemistry. Although their book is aimed primarily at scientists, the authors hope it will also appeal to scientists in general, and, indeed, to laymen with an interest in the development of science from its cloudy beginnings to its pervasive influence in modern society. Rather than going into the formal mathematical background, the authors describe how symmetry concepts inherited from the early Greek philosophers began to enter scientific thought. In chemistry, the main impact has been on the development of the molecular hypothesis. Once it...

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