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Symmetry occurs not only in geometry, but also in other branches of mathematics. Symmetry is a type of invariance: the property that a mathematical object remains unchanged under a set of operations or transformations. [1] Given a structured object X of any sort, a symmetry is a mapping of the object onto itself which preserves the structure.
This article describes symmetry from three perspectives: in mathematics, including geometry, the most familiar type of symmetry for many people; in science and nature; and in the arts, covering architecture, art, and music. The opposite of symmetry is asymmetry, which refers to the absence of symmetry.
Antipodal symmetry is an alternative name for a point reflection symmetry through the origin. [14] Such a "reflection" preserves orientation if and only if k is an even number. [15] This implies that for m = 3 (as well as for other odd m), a point reflection changes the orientation of the space, like a mirror-image symmetry.
Following the life and work of famous mathematicians from antiquity to the present, Stewart traces mathematics' developing handling of the concept of symmetry.One of the first takeaways, established in the preface of this book, is that it dispels the idea of the origins of symmetry in geometry, as is often the first context in which the term is introduced.
Geometrically, the graph of an odd function has rotational symmetry with respect to the origin, meaning that its graph remains unchanged after rotation of 180 degrees about the origin. If x = 0 {\displaystyle x=0} is in the domain of an odd function f ( x ) {\displaystyle f(x)} , then f ( 0 ) = 0 {\displaystyle f(0)=0} .
The origin of a Cartesian coordinate system. In mathematics, the origin of a Euclidean space is a special point, usually denoted by the letter O, used as a fixed point of reference for the geometry of the surrounding space. In physical problems, the choice of origin is often arbitrary, meaning any choice of origin will ultimately give the same ...
In mathematics, a symmetry operation is a geometric transformation of an object that leaves the object looking the same after it has been carried out. For example, a 1 ⁄ 3 turn rotation of a regular triangle about its center, a reflection of a square across its diagonal, a translation of the Euclidean plane, or a point reflection of a sphere through its center are all symmetry operations.
Rotational symmetry, also known as radial symmetry in geometry, is the property a shape has when it looks the same after some rotation by a partial turn. An object's degree of rotational symmetry is the number of distinct orientations in which it looks exactly the same for each rotation.