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SUMMARY:Finding Moonshine: a Mathematician’s Journey through Symmetry - 
 Professor Marcus du Sautoy\, University of Oxford
DTSTART:20080226T170000Z
DTEND:20080226T180000Z
UID:TALK9676@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:6775
DESCRIPTION:*Symmetry is all around us.* Our eyes and minds are drawn to s
 ymmetrical objects\, from the sphere to the swastika\, from the pyramid to
  the pentagon.  *Of fundamental significance to the way we interpret the w
 orld around us\, this unique\, all-pervasive phenomenon indicates a dynami
 c relationship between objects.*  In chemistry and physics the concept of 
 symmetry explains the structure of crystals or the theory of fundamental p
 articles\; in evolutionary biology\, the natural world exploits symmetry i
 n the fight for survival\; and symmetry—and the breaking of it—are cen
 tral to ideas in art\, architecture\, and music.  *This talk takes a uniqu
 e look into the mathematical mind as Marcus du Sautoy explores deep conjec
 tures about symmetry.*  These conjectures have culminated in the most exci
 ting discovery to date—the summit of mathematicians' mastery in the fiel
 d—the Monster\, a huge snowflake that lives in 196\,883-dimensional spac
 e with more symmetries than there are atoms in the sun.\n\n*About the spea
 ker:* Marcus du Sautoy is currently a Research Fellow at the Royal Society
  and has been named by _The Independent on Sunday_ as one of the UK’s le
 ading scientists.  He is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of O
 xford and a fellow of Wadham College.   He has previously written in _The 
 Times_\, appeared on Radio 4 on numerous occasions\, and is the author of 
 _The Music of the Primes_.\n\n*Audience:* ages 16+\, general public\n\n*Ad
 mission to the lecture is free but by ticket only.*  For tickets please e-
 mail Heather Benucci at mmptalks@hermes.cam.ac.uk or call 01223 766839\; i
 nclude your name\, the title and date of the lecture\, the number of ticke
 ts requested and a postal address in your message.\n\nVisit the "MMP websi
 te":www.mmp.maths.org to sign up for future notifications of MMP events. \
 n
LOCATION:MR2\, Mathematical Sciences\, Centre for
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