Symmetry: A Unifying Concept [Paperback]

Istvan Hargittai (Author), Magdolna Hargittai (Author), Lloyd Kahn (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Shelter Publications (1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093607017X
• ISBN-13: 978-0936070179
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,304,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Istvan Hargittai, PhD, DSc (Budapest, Hungary), is the author of several acclaimed books including the six-volume Candid Science series of interviews with famous scientists; The Road to Stockholm: Nobel Prizes, Science, and Scientists; The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century; and The DNA Doctor: Candid Conversations with James D. Watson. Dr. Hargittai is professor of chemistry at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and head of the George A Olah PhD School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He is a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, a foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and a member of the Academia Europaea in London. His work on the Teller book was assisted by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book, March 29, 2004

By 

Bruce R. Gilson (Wheaton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Symmetry: A Unifying Concept (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the subject. It describes the various types of symmetries recognized by mathematics, and shows many examples of each of them, as used in design. It is not very mathematical, in fact, and if you're looking for a book more heavily oriented in that direction, you might be disappointed. But if you want to get a first introduction to symmetry, and treat your eyes to some wonderful illustrations, get this book!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not bad, May 20, 2006

By 

B. McKeon "polypus" (somewhere in the bush) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Symmetry: A Unifying Concept (Paperback)

not a bad little book. actually i should say big book, as it is fairly large. the book is filled with many interesting photos and other visual examples of symmetry in nature, art, architecture, geometry, etc. interestingly two of the examples have been casualties of recent attacks, one a sculpture at the world trade center, and the other the beautiful spiral malwiya mosque in iraq.

beware that the math is very light to non-existent in the book, which may be good or bad depending on your perspective. it also contains a few innacuracies/ommisions. for instance it does not differntiate between logarithmic, golden, and fibonacci spirals.

golden spirals are logarithmic, but fibonacci spirals are not. the authors also perpetuate the myth that nautilus shells are golden spirals, when in fact they are only logarithmic.

i'd like to see a second edition with more math, and more accuracy as well as better layout and graphic design. the richness of the visual material deserves a better designer (authors, have your designer read edward tufte).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Symmetry in Nature and Man's Products", December 12, 2007

By 

Russell A. Rohde MD "Owl" (West Covina, California USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Symmetry: A Unifying Concept (Paperback)

"Symmetry: A Unifying Concept", by Istvan and Magdolna Hargittai, Shelter Publications, Inc. CA 1994. ISBN 0-936070-17-X. PC 220/210 pages includes Intro., Further Reads, Author ID, Index 4 pgs., Ack. & Permissions 4 pgs., 550 photographs plus plethora of cartoons. 10 1/2" x 8 1/2".

The authors are both distinguished research professors in structural chemistry with numerous publications, have produced an intriguing book on diverse symmetries, classifying some 25 varieties and defining their intrinsic natures in rather innovative style embrancing those found in Nature and those produced by the Hand of Man. There is some exacting methodology in classifications that range from mirror, movement, chirality, rotational, snowflake, geometric, redundant, spiral, motifs, to crystallines, etc.

At the molecular level, we learn all amino acids in living organisms are left handed and corresponding nucleotides (of nucleic acids) are right handed, and that all naturally-occuring snowflakes are equilateral, equiangled hexagons. We are shown examples of Nature's utilization of Fibonacci series, the Golden-Ratio, -Section, -Rectangle, Logarithmic Spiral and the Magic Number 230 in crystalline structure.

The treatise photographically encompasses and aptly describes a plethora of symmetries that should be of interest to all age groups -- it is not encumbered by mathmatic particulars. The causal representations of symmetry in Nature has yet to be elucidated, but may be a product of efficiency conservatism, inherent molecularity, or an assemblage not yet understood. Be assured that upon reading this book one is wont to discover symmetry in...almost everything, something which is sure to please the authors.