In Our Own Image: Personal Symmetry in Discovery PDF
Preview In Our Own Image: Personal Symmetry in Discovery
IN OUR OWN IMAGE Personal Symmetry in Discovery IN OUR OWN IMAGE Personal Symmetry in Discovery Isfvân HargiHai Budapest Technical University Eatvas Lorand University and Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary Magdolna HargiHai Eatvas Lorand University and Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary Springer Science+Business Media, LLC Llbrary of Congress Catalog1ng-In-Publlcatlon Data Harglttai. Istvan. In Dur own l.age : personal sy •• etry In discovery I by Istvan Hargittai. Magdolna Hargittai. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4613-6874-8 ISBN 978-1-4615-4179-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-4179-0 1. Symmetry. 2. Science--Philosophy. 1. Hargittai. Magdolna. II. Title. 0172.5.S95H365 1999 501--dc21 99-33173 CIP ISBN 978-1-4613-6874-8 © 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers in 2000 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 2000 http://www.wkop.nl 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 AII rights reserved No port of this book moy be reproduced. stored in o retrievol system, or tronsmitted In ony farm or by ony meons, electronic, mechonicol, photocopylng, microfilming, recording, ar otherwlse, without wrltten permlsslon from the Publisher Contents Foreword ix Preface xi 1. Introduction 1 Motivation 1 Relaxing the Rules 3 Personal Components 4 Cardinal Questions 5 Recognizing Patterns 8 Michael Polanyi 12 Notes 15 2. Perception and Symmetry 17 NowItMoves and NowIt Doesn't 17 Japanese Symmetry 20 Common Grounds 22 Pleasing Repetition 23 Notes 24 v In Our Own Image 3. Johannes Kepler 27 Geometrical Models 28 Koestler 29 Koestler's Kepler 30 Leap into theThird Dimension 31 Universal Harmony 33 Immortal By-products of"Pseudo-Discoveries" 34 The First ScientificCrystallographer 36 Attractive Bodies 37 Why Such Exclusivity? 39 Coxeter and Friend 40 Memorial 41 Modeling Molecules 42 Qualitative Models 44 Molecular Shapes 46 Embarrassing Simplicity 47 Notes 48 4. Buckminster Fuller 53 Life for Synergy 53 Virus Structure 56 Physical Geometry 58 Road Posts to a Discovery 59 Symmetry Considerations 60 Moscow Computations 61 Exxon Study 62 Rice-Sussex Project 64 Stereochemistry 66 Include Motion 69 Berry Pseudorotation 70 Jahn-Teller Effect 71 Molecules Reacting 72 The Cubane Story 74 Other Cages 76 Notes 78 5. LinusPauling 83 Learningthe Past 84 Resonance 85 A Priori Nonsense 86 Road to theAlpha-Helix 88 Interest in Proteins 89 Helix to the Rescue 90 Double Helix 93 ChargaffRules 96 TransformingPrinciple 98 HonoringAvery 98 vi Emeritus Concluding the Mission 101 Contents Opposition 102 DaringPredictions 103 Prizes on a Poster 105 Versions ofHistory 106 Notes 108 6. Aleksandr Kitaigorodskii 113 Complementariness 115 Lower SymmetryPacks Better 117 Russian Symmetry 120 MolecularWelcome 122 Whence Crystal Structures? 125 Lord Kelvin's Geometry 130 EscherPatterns 132 Connection with P6lya and Coxeter 136 Polymorph Sleuths 138 Notes 140 7. Desmond Bernal 145 Sage and Symmetry 145 Laws for Lawlessness 147 Convergence and Divergence 149 Alan Mackay 151 Predicting Quasicrystals 152 SayingItwith Democritus 156 Dan Shechtman 157 The Discovery 157 "There Is No SuchAnimal" 159 Fivefold Symmetry to Life 160 Itis NotTwins 163 Pauling's Niet 164 John Cahn 165 Hurdles 167 Dov Levine 169 The Paper 170 Letter to the Editor 171 Paul Steinhardt 172 Matchingthe Rules 174 Marjorie Senechal 175 Disorder Preferred 177 Notes 178 8. Pierre Curie 181 EightWords to Fame 181 Shubnikov 183 More Symmetry from Pierre Curie 184 Chirality 186 Pasteur's Gift to Biot 187 vii In Our Own Image Roots and Branches 188 Prepared Mind 189 The Big Question 191 Nobel Chirality 192 Measuring Chirality 195 Which Drug Is Right (or Left) for You? 196 Polariscope Catches Murdererin 1930 198 Pasteur: L'Univers Est Dissymetrique 199 Emmy Noether 200 Conservation Laws and Symmetry 201 ParityViolation 201 Broken Symmetry 204 Unbroken Dreams 205 BreakingTime Symmetry 207 Elusive Belousov 209 Merging Extremities 210 Antisymmetry 211 Bisociation 213 Increasing EverydayAbstraction 214 Nothing Is Important 215 Notes 216 9. Epilogue 221 Notes 224 Name Index 225 Subject Index 231 viii Foreword: Personal Symmetry Symmetry is an endlessly fascinating area of aesthetic intellectual activity. Apprecia tion of symmetry seems to go back to the earliest time of human intellectual devel opmentascan be seenfrom the artefacts thathavesurvivedfrom ourearlyancestors. Itmayevengo backmuchfurther-deeper intothe wayournervous systemresponds tostimuli-optical,oral,etc.After all,manyflowers have highsymmetriesand,hence, the sensory systems ofinsects and birdsmust be tuned so that they are stimulated by symmetric structural and associated color patterns. Perhaps some observed patterns map directlyonto neural sensors and insome way relate to the physical structures of the associated networks. Symmetry may actually be an essential all-pervasive funda mental aspect ofperception by any sensory mechanism. This book approaches symmetry in a novel way-it is an entirely personal per spective ofthe authors, Istvan and Magdi Hargittai, on many individual personalities that punctuate key moments in the history of science-in particular, the scientific advances with these obvious symmetry-related aspects. The Hargittais survey the historyandprojectoutnumerousfascinatinginsightsfromasymmetry-relatedvantage point and show how patternsmayinfluence the ways in which scientific and technical advances are made. Thisbooktakesus throughsomeofthe mostfascinating areasofsciencewith the aid ofnumerous accounts byoutstanding scientists as well as related anecdotal infor- ix In Our Own Image mation. Difficult scientific advances are often discussed from a general conceptual viewpointinaway thatmakesthemlessforbidding.Thiswillhelpreadersto dealwith these advances if they wish to understand them in detail at some later stage. Often we are treated to discussions obtained firsthand from the scientists who made the groundbreakingadvancesorfromotherswhowereinvolvedindirectly.Theseaccounts invariably reveal fascinating new information. TheblackandwhiteillustrationsbyOroszareawelcomechangefromthepresent over-reliance on photographs and/or computer graphics which have their place-but not in this volume. Orosz has brought a measure of"personal" imagination and cre ativity which complements the text well and enhances the book's general intellectual appeal immeasurably. I thoroughly enjoyed the spirit of the book and learning more about numerous colorfulscientists.Theuse ofsymmetryasthecoathangeronwhichtohangthestories and correlate the plethora of personal observations has enabled the Hargittais to create a book which is not only unique but also an invaluable addition to our scien tific literary heritage. Harold Kroto Sussex x Preface The title of our volume refers to what is well described by the following two quota tions:"Godcreatedmaninhisownimage"l and"MancreatesGodinhisownimage."2 Our approach to symmetry is subjective, and the term "personal" symmetry reflects this approach in our discussion ofselected scientific events.We have chosen six icons to symbolize six areas: Kepler for modeling, Fuller for new molecules, Pauling for helical structures, Kitaigorodskii for packing, Bernal for quasicrystals, and Curie for dissymmetry. Forthe pastthree decades we have beeninvolvedinlearning,thinking,speaking, and writing aboutsymmetry.This involvement has augmented our principal activities in molecular structure research. Our interest in symmetry had started with a simple fascination andhas evolved intoa highlycharged personaltopicfor us.At thestartof this volume, we had had several authored and edited symmetryrelated books behind us.3 We owe a debt ofgratitude to the numerous people whose interviews arequoted inthisvolume.4We very muchappreciate the kind and gracious cooperation ofEdgar J. Applewhite (Washington, DC), Lawrence S. Bartell (University of Michigan), R. Stephen Berry (University of Chicago),John W. Cahn (National Institute of Science and Technology, Gaithersburg,MD), Donald L. D. Caspar (Florida State University), Erwin Chargaff (NewYork City),JohnW. Cornforth (University ofSussex),H. S.M. xi
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