{curiosity, eagerness} > bandwidth. I get more books than I can read. I just cannot help it. I confessed this to a very understanding friend the other day, and we agreed that it is not only inevitable, but actually necessary. Having unread books on your shelf is latent happiness.
One such book that has recently resurfaced is “Symmetry” (Princeton University Press, 1952) by Hermann Weyl.
This small book (168 pages) is a rare gem. It touches on art, architecture, biology, chemistry, music, theology, philosophy, crystalography, electromagnetism, quantum physics, fashion, and more (not surprisingly, given the book’s title). This rich presentation of examples is punctuated by an algebraic treatment of symmetry (group theory). If I remember correctly, conservation laws (Noether’s theorem) are not mentioned.
A curious book, written by a prominent mathematician who lived in Zurich and taught at the ETH. He also wrote a more formal book on group theory: “Classical Groups”.
