Symmetry
state; balance of object
Symmetry is a property of certain geometrical objects that appears the same when reflected along an axis or when rotated around a point. The opposite of symmetry is asymmetry, which refers to the absence of symmetry.
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Symmetry.jpg/150px-Symmetry.jpg)
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Asymmetric_%28PSF%29.svg/150px-Asymmetric_%28PSF%29.svg.png)
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Mitsushima_Nagasaki.png/220px-Flag_of_Mitsushima_Nagasaki.png)
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Studio_del_Corpo_Umano_-_Leonardo_da_Vinci.png/150px-Studio_del_Corpo_Umano_-_Leonardo_da_Vinci.png)
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In reflectional symmetry, the axis of symmetry must cross the shape through the middle, dividing it into equal halves.
In rotational symmetry, the object is identical when it is rotated by a certain amount.
The precise notions of symmetry have various measures and operational definitions. For example, symmetry may be observed
- with respect to the passage of time;
- as a spatial relationship;
- through transformations such as rotation;
- through other kinds of transformations;[1]
- as an aspect of scientific models, language, music and even knowledge itself.[2][3]
References
change- ↑ For example, operations such as moving across a regularly patterned tile floor or rotating an eight-sided vase, or in the way music is played.
- ↑ See, e.g., Mainzer, Klaus (2005). Symmetry and complexity: the spirit and beauty of nonlinear science. World Scientific. ISBN 981-256-192-7.
- ↑ Symmetric objects can be material, such as a person, crystal, quilt, floor tiles, or molecule, or it can be an abstract structure such as a mathematical equation or a series of tones (music).
Further reading
change- Stewart, Ian (2007). Why beauty is truth: the history of symmetry. Basic Books. ISBN 9780465082360.
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