The Symmetry of Thingspdf Compress
The Symmetry of Thingspdf Compress
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ReviewedbyBranko Grünbaum
The word"symmetry" has manydifferent meanings,so itseemsappropriate to discuss
thenotionbeforereporting on TheSymmetries In
ofThings. myview,anysymmetry is
an orderly orsystematic of in a
disposition parts whole, and vice versa,any such dispo-
sitionis a symmetry. The orderliness or systemcan be ofmanykinds- leadingto very
different situationsand developments. Some of theearliestculturalartifacts exhibit
symmetries. The ancient Egyptians have long been as
presented beingunsurpassed
mastersof symmetry in ornamentation, butothercultureshave had theirown contri-
butions.As examples,one maymentionthewell-known Islamicornaments, whichare
of
totallyindependent anyEgyptianinfluence, or thestunning decorations of textiles
madebypre-conquest Peruvians.In Figure 1 we show in a schematic the
way patterns
oftwoofthestillpreservedancientPeruvianfabrics;as explained,illustrated, andref-
erencedin detailin [5], manyof thesetextilesshow a greatcreativity in combining
shapesandcolorstogenerateveryorderly butattractive patterns.(ThejournalSymme-
trywas discontinued by the publisher,VCH Publishers, aftera singleissue.The paper
[5] was reprinted as [7], butwithoutthededicationto HeinrichHeesch,and withno
colorillustrations.)
A A A A A A A A A V V A A V
A /" A A A A A A V V A A V
A /" A /" A /" A A/^vvaav
A A A A A A A A V V A A V
A A A A A A A AAVVAAV
A A A A A A A A v v A A v
A A A A A A A AAVVAAV
oftwoPeruviantextiles;see [6, page 46] or [7, page 23]. The first
Figure 1. Schematicrepresentations con-
tainstwocopiesofthemotifin each translational
fundamentalregion,thesecondeightcopies.
2009]
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REFERENCES
2009]
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University Seattle,WA98195-4350
ofWashington,
grunbaum@math. edu
Washington,
MathematicsIs ...
"Mathematics is, on theone side,thequalitativestudyof thestructure
of beauty,
and on theotherside is thecreatorof newartisticformsof beauty."
JamesB. Shaw,Mathematics - The subtlefineart,in
Mathematics:Our GreatHeritage,WilliamL. Schaaf,ed.,
Harper& Brothers,New York,1948,p. 50.