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Academic Lectures / Courses
Heiland Lecture Series - Thursday, February 23rd at 4 p.m.in CTLM/CT 102
Department / Organization: Geophysics
Symmetry Anyone? by Emeritus Professor Willy A. Hereman, Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, CSM
Symmetry is nature's language. Symmetries are also found everywhere in architecture, art, and music. Throughout history, the concept of symmetry has been vital to help solve scientific problems that were thought to be intractable. Symmetry considerations are also at the core of proofs why certain problems are unsolvable. For example, trisecting an angle by straight-edge and compass was proven impossible using symmetry methods discovered by Galois. To illustrate the importance of symmetry in mathematics and the applied sciences, I will present several applications of symmetry to both physical and mathematical problems (current and historical). Related to my own research, I will show how dilation symmetries can be used to find conservation laws and Lax pairs of nonlinear partial differential equations that describe elastically interacting nonlinear waves (solitons).