Symmetry breaking is one of the most fundamental concepts in theoretical physics. It is what gives rise to all the diversity that makes our life so rich and surprising. How boring would it be if everything was perfectly symmetric – and massless on top of that. Sabine Hossenfelder
Please join me on June 4th at Gallery Books where I will be discussing my new book of short stories.
If you’re willing to work for nothing there are lots of jobs available. I’m a blogger. I had a hard time finding work before I discovered that bloggers get paid the least and therefore are in high demand. I’ve been told it has something to do with Zeno’s paradox which I’m going to read about after I finish The Elements Of Style.
A woman dropped by and said she had a geometry problem and needed help. I’ve tackled a few of those in my day so I told her I’d give it a try.
“You? Kid?” she scoffed.
“No. Euclid,” I responded. It was obvious her problem was linguistic, not mathematical. Her demeanor reminded me of that Einstein quote about geometry not being inherent in nature. Watch how trees grow or how the coastline zigzags erratically and you will see what I mean.
“Ahiqkhidmpz,” she said.
It sounded Arabic to me. I thought she must have gone a bit looney after listening to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
She squiggled her eyes snakelike and threw out her arms and legs. Ghostly emanations and specters surrounded her, disembodied parts hovering around free but lost.
“So, what’s your plan, Euclid?” she said sarcastically. “Gonna write a blog about me?”
“That’s my job,” I replied.
“So, what do you think about these broken symmetries?” She was referring to herself, of course. She was baiting me. I knew it.
“I’m attracted to broken symmetries. It’s why I live here on the coast. Fog, erosion, atmosphere, memory, shifting light, nonlinear forms; I live in the tension that emerges dynamically through instability, recursion, and incompleteness.
“Atta boy, lean in. But, really, would you go out on a date with me? Wouldn’t you be a little bit afraid?”
Fireworks went off around her head. I saw the geometries swarming around her. Her essence appeared chaotic but it was not disordered. She expressed a different kind of order.
“Not in the least. No more than I fear the broken cliffs along the coastline, twisted cypress trees, the parade of fog and clouds outside my window, or the natural turbulence of the air on a windy day. You don’t have a geometry problem. There are measurable fractal characteristics in the way you express yourself.”
“Wow! No one has ever told me that before. You really know how to treat a lady.”
“Thanks. That’ll be $9.95”
Cha-ching
Note: after the music the screen goes black for a moment. Wait as it she comes back on with some important comments.