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The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered

the Language of Symmetry

Article in Physics Today · July 2006

DOI: 10.1063/1.2337831

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'The equation that couldn't be solved'

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Issue 38 March 2006
Contents
Features
Graphical methods I: Slug wars
Symmetry rules
Anything but square: from magic squares to Sudoku
Mysterious number 6174
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'Flatland'
'Coincidences, chaos, and all that math jazz'
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March 2006
Reviews

'The equation that couldn't be solved'

reviewed by Charlotte Mulcare

The equation that couldn't be solved: how mathematical

genius discovered the language of symmetry
By Mario Livio
Mario Livio's new book tells the story of the elusive quintic equation and how, from the mysteries of this
unsolvable puzzle, group theory was born. This branch of mathematics describes and defines symmetry, and
at the core of the book is a strong sense of just how much of our behaviour and appreciation of the world
around us depends on our ability to perceive symmetrical proportions. Livio is very much present in the
writing, an instantly likeable narrator whose passion for his subject is contagious. His descriptions of
symmetry are punctuated by visual images, such as pictures of famous mathematicians, optical illusions and
diagrams of words and numbers. For a more "hands on" read, the book contains some mind-bending
equations, with appendices of solutions. There are also some fascinating side-comments, such as his
observations on genius and how close (or not, as the case may be) we are to understanding its true nature.

The first chapters justify why the subject is worth delving into by providing a wide-ranging tour of familiar
cultural icons and biological qualities that have some basis in symmetry. The range is fascinating: Livio
covers the evolution of predator-recognition, the golden mean in art, strategies for choosing a life-partner,
why some pieces of music work so well, and, perhaps most crucially, the best way of attacking a rubik's cube.
The next part of the book focuses on the mathematical equations that underpin symmetry, and describes not

'The equation that couldn't be solved' 2

'The equation that couldn't be solved'

only maths, but also mathematicians. Resurrecting my knowledge of quadratic equations (initially a daunting
thought) was made worthwhile by Livio's enthusiasm. The juxtaposition of the surprisingly colourful lives of
mathematicians and the dry facts behind their discoveries works well, and cameos of researchers such as
Ferrari, Cardano, Tartaglia and Ruffini prove quite addictive. The two chapters on a "poverty-stricken
mathematician" from Norway (Niels Henrik Abel) and a "romantic mathematician" from France (Evariste
Galois), make particularly compulsive and poignant reading. These mathematicians had tragic and bizarrely
symmetrical lives. Both independently demonstrated that the quintic equation could not be solved using
conventional mathematics, thereby paving the way for the development of group theory. Perhaps most
illuminating is the use their theories were put to, and the final part of the book clarifies the tremendous debt
many key scientific theories owe to the mathematics of symmetry.

If the book has a weakness, it is that it jumps between disparate topics fairly rapidly, which can be stimulating
but also disorientating at times. The book makes reference to a great many key theories in science and
mathematics, taking the reader from quantum mechanics to string theory in a few chapters. The explanations
of these are remarkably cogent, but even so, it's a whistle-stop tour, which may require a certain amount of
re-reading or head scratching. It is also possible that readers with a limited mathematical background might
find some of the material heavy-going.

What makes for a good read is Livio's coverage of many of the "life, the universe and everything" topics, and
the reassuring knowledge that all this is based on well-grounded, well-researched fact. His references and
notes are comprehensive enough to satisfy the most pedantic of readers, and although the book is likely to end
up on a "popular science" table, the scholarship involved and breadth of his research suggests that it could
make a useful reference tool as well. Better still, Livio has the rare ability to explain complex ideas in terms
simple enough to remember and later wax lyrically about across your coffee table or local pub. It's a book to
make you feel (if only temporarily) like a genius yourself.

Book details of the British version: Book details of the American version:
The equation that couldn't be The equation that couldn't be
solved solved
Mario Livio Mario Livio
hardback - 368 pages (March hardback - 368 pages
2006) (September 2005)
Souvenir Press Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0285637436 ISBN: 0743258207
You can buy the book and help Plus at the same time by clicking on the link on the left to purchase from amazon.co.uk, and the link
to the right to purchase from amazon.com. Plus will earn a small commission from your purchase.

Charlotte Mulcare has recently completed a PhD in human genetics. The project used a series of different
statistical techniques to identify historic signatures of natural selection from modern patterns of genetic
variation. She is currently job-hunting...