Abstract: According to Herman Wey1, by symmetry of an object (or a physical system) we mean the property of the object to appear unchanged after some operation has been done on it. We then say that the object is symmetrical under the given operation. For instance, consider a square. It is indistinguishable after rotations by and about the axis passing through its geometrical center and perpendicular to its plane (Shown by the dot in the figure). This axis is said to be the axis of symmetry of the square. Note that the angle of rotation, for which the square possesses symmetry, takes on only discrete values. Consequently, it has, as we say, a discrete symmetry. On the other hand, a sphere looks unchanged after all rotations (infinitesimal or finite) about its axis of symmetry. Since the angle of rotation can take continuous values, the rotational symmetry of the sphere is a continuous symmetry.
Publication Year: 2018
Publication Date: 2018-10-20
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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