1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910819571103321

Autore

Ronan Mark

Titolo

Symmetry and the monster : one of the greatest quests of mathematics / / Mark Ronan

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford ; ; New York, : Oxford University Press, 2006

ISBN

1-280-76227-6

0-19-151766-6

1-4294-8724-0

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

vii, 255 p. : ill

Classificazione

31.01

31.21

Disciplina

516/.1

Soggetti

Symmetry (Mathematics)

Group theory

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 230-237) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Prologue -- 1: Theaetetus's Icosahedron -- 2: Galois: Death of a Genius -- 3: Irrational Solutions -- 4: Groups -- 5: Sophus Lie -- 6: Lie Groups and Physics -- 7: Going Finite -- 8: After the War -- 9: The Man from Uccle -- 10: The Big Theorem -- 11: Pandora's Box -- 12: The Leech Lattice -- 13: Fischer's Monsters -- 14: The Atlas -- 15: A Monstrous Mystery -- 16: Construction -- 17: Moonshine -- Notes -- Prologue -- Chapter 2: Galois: Death of a Genius -- Chapter 3: Irrational Solutions -- Chapter 4: Groups -- Chapter 5: Sophus Lie -- Chapter 6: Lie Groups and Physics -- Chapter 7: Going Finite -- Chapter 8: After the War -- Chapter 9: The Man from Uccle -- Chapter 10: The Big Theorem -- Chapter 11: Pandora's Box -- Chapter 12: The Leech Lattice -- Chapter 13: Fischer's Monsters -- Chapter 14: The Atlas -- Chapter 15: A Monstrous Mystery -- Chapter 16: Construction -- Chapter 17: Moonshine -- Appendix 1: The Golden Section -- Appendix 2: The Witt Design -- Appendix 3: The Leech Lattice -- Appendix 4: The 26 Exceptions -- Glossary -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

The 'Monster of Symmetry' is a giant snowflake in 196,884 dimensions - with a beautiful structure which may turn out to unlock the very fabric



of our universe. The story of the hunt for the monster, and its eventual discovery, became the biggest joint mathematical project of all time - involving determination, luck, and some very extraordinary characters.