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Definition: symmetry from Collins English Dictionary

n pl -tries

1 similarity, correspondence, or balance among systems or parts of a system

2 maths an exact correspondence in position or form about a given point, line, or plane See symmetrical (sense 2)

3 beauty or harmony of form based on a proportionate arrangement of parts

4 physics the independence of a property with respect to direction; isotropy

[C16: from Latin symmetria, from Greek summetria proportion, from syn- + metron measure]

symmetry

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
generally speaking, a balance or correspondence between various parts of an object; the term symmetry is used both in the arts and in the sciences. In art and design, it is often used in a somewhat loose sense, to mean a kind of balance in which the corresponding parts are not necessarily alike but only similar. A symmetrical design should produce a pleasing effect; if there is too close a correspondence, the effect may be monotonous. Ancient Greek architecture is particularly distinguished for its symmetry. In modern art, the Dutch artist M. C. Escher achieved a number of striking effects in his works exploring mathematical symmetry. A mathematical operation, or transformation, that results in the same figure as the original figure (or its mirror image) is called a symmetry operation. Such operations include reflection, rotation, double reflection, and translation. The set of all operations on a given figure that leave the figure unchanged constitutes the symmetry group for that…
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Full text Article SYMMETRY

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
Greek philosopher A rose which varies from the ideal of straightness to a hook or snub may still be of good shape and agreeable to the eye. Politics Book V, Chapter 9, 1309b [ 20 ] Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Chicago Illinois USA . 1952. English poet, pain... …
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Full text Article symmetry

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
generally speaking, a balance or correspondence between various parts of an object; the term symmetry is used both in the arts and in the sciences. In art and design, it is often used in a somewhat loose sense, to mean a kind of balance in which the corresponding parts are not necessarily alike but…
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Full text Article symmetry

From The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics
In general, a figure or expression is said to be symmetric if parts of it may be interchanged without changing the whole. For example, x 2 + 2xy + y 2 is symmetric in x and y. A symmetry operation (symmetry) is any operation on a figure or expression that produces an identical figure or expression. …
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Full text Article SYMMETRY

From 100 Ideas that Changed Architecture
In common usage ‘symmetry’ connotes specifically that preference for bilaterial symmetry around a central axis that is found in the formal architectures of all civilizations and widely in vernacular buildings. This seems to be so universal and deeply ingrained that its origins are almost certainly…
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Crystals can be classified into groups depending upon their symmetry, which in turn is defined by the degree of regularity in the arrangement of the atoms in the crystal structure. This arrangement also affects their optical and physical properties, for example how they react to light, the way they…
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Full text Article symmetry, biological

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
similarity or balance between parts of an organism so that when a straight cut is made through a point or along a line, equal, mirror-image halves are formed. Symmetry in body shapes is related to the lifestyles of organisms. Asymmetry, or the absence of symmetry, most often occurs in sessile…
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Full text Article orbital symmetry

From Science Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia of Chemistry
The behavior of an atomic or localized molecular orbital under molecular symmetry operations characterizes its orbital symmetry. For example, under a reflection in an appropriate symmetry plane, the phase of the orbital may be unchanged (symmetric), or it may change sign (antisymmetric), i.e., the…
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Full text Article unitary symmetry

From The Penguin Dictionary of Physics
unitary symmetry (a) meson and baryon octets
A generalization of ISOSPIN theory. In GROUP THEORY , isospin is concerned with a group called SU 2 (the special unitary group of 2 x 2 matrices). Unitary symmetry is concerned with a group called SU 3. It predicts that as far as STRONG INTERACTIONS are concerned ELEMENTARY PARTICLES can be grouped…
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Plane of symmetry
We are familiar with symmetrical objects such as boxes, furniture and even ourselves. Close inspection of such objects will reveal that they can be symmetrical about a plane such that if the object were to be cut in half along the plane, one half would be the mirror image of the other ( Fig. 2 ). …
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Full text Article symmetry

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
symmetry
Exact likeness in shape about a given line (axis), point, or plane. A figure has symmetry if one half can be rotated and/or reflected onto the other. (Symmetry preserves length, angle, but not necessarily orientation.) In a wider sense, symmetry exists if a change in the system leaves the essential…
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