Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Physics: We are Asymmetry.

“A thing is symmetrical if there is something you can do to it so that after you have finished doing it, it looks the same as before.”

The above quote by mathematician, Hermann Weyl, defines symmetry. According to his statement, if the world and everything in it is symmetrical, then any change that happens (obviously there are too many examples here), but in broader terms, whether change takes place among people, terrains, oceans, then once that "change" has finished taking "place", the world would look exactly as it did before. And, this is indisputably impossible. 

Some more specific examples could be a hurricane, tornado, massive growth or death in population, the difference before and after the "event" would be extreme. 

On a much smaller (and personal) scale, humans may look symmetrical but that is also not the case. No two sides of the face are exactly alike and why would the majority of us be more dominant on one side rather than the other? 

The argument of symmetry represented in our world is not held up by much. Maybe computers and robots are the only thing that can replicate this... unfortunately.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Taylor, I want to meet up after your shift tomorrow - if you're available? I need to take the opportunity of the extra morning to go to the city and deal with a loose end with a deadline. I don't have your number or email so this was the only way I thought of to contact you... I'll be at the school by 1 so I can get a session in, anyway, hope it works out. If you actually read this and want to be equally weird and message me back on my blog, that would be rad :) In the meantime I would totally comment on your thoughts about assymetry but I can't read the damn thing since the type is like, dark gray on a black background but maybe that was your point? Or perhaps you're a clandestine member of an ancient taoist cult of the dark arts, and black on black is your thing. Ok, I did read it but it took some eye juice and something like a brain freeze...I'm not taking the time to really grasp the quote you quoted, but I can see that making sense to a mathematician, and then I agree with your general conclusion and see the sense of your comment about computers and robots replicating this idea of symmetry, because here its ultimately a mathematical concept. I like the tai chi symbol as a frame for how symmetry and asymmetry function. I think 'symmetry' has more to do with consciousness' preference for order over chaos, and we project symmetry onto the mostly asymmetrical reality. The tai chi symbol is ultimately asymmetrical, but it imbues a most definite semblance of symmetry. Or in general, it's symmetrical but in detail it's not. Cheers, see you tomorrow

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