Symmetry and the Monster
by Mark Ronan · first published 2006
2mentions
2recommended by
2HN commenters
2014–2017first – last mentioned
100% recommend
"Mathematics is driven forward by the quest to solve a small number of major problems--the four most famous challenges being Fermat's Last Theorem, the Riemann Hypothesis, Poincaré's Conjecture, and the quest for the 'Monster' of Symmetry. Now, in an exciting, fast-paced historical narrative ranging across two centuries, Mark Ronan takes us on an exhilarating tour of this final mathematical quest. Ronan describes how the quest to understand symmetry really began with the tragic young genius Evariste Galois, who died at the age of 20 in a duel. Galois, who spent the night before he died frantic
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…simple groups was "discovered" over time (the main families, then each new sporadic group, and finally proving that all of them have indeed been found), I strongly recommend reading the following book: Symmetry and the Monster, by Mark Ronan. It's not so much about the math than the history behind the quest, with took about 50 years to be completed.
on “Groups and Group Convolutions” ↗…mark. I wish it was twice the length and with more care to the proofing during the ebook creation. On the topic of the Monster group, there was a very much pop-math book about it that I read called "Symmetry and the Monster". It's at the total opposite end of the spectrum compared to Fearless Symmetry (which deals with Galois theory). It's a good casual read [3] but don't expect deep insight. I would really love if there…
on “Symmetry, Algebra and the Monster” ↗