Crystallography and the world of symmetry (Q935705)

This slim volume is concerned with a rather superficial treatment of the symmetries in nature. The book comprises 10 short chapters and 2 appendices. The first eight chapters deals with finite group symmetries in crystals. Lattices in two- and three-dimensions are defined and it is said that point symmetry transformations are obtainable through basic transformations such as rotations of 60, 90, 120 and 180 degrees about some axes, reflections and inversions. It is mentioned that there are only 32 point groups with associated crystal classes. If lattice points have an internal structure (called motifs in this work) then additional symmetry tranformations occur and the number of the space groups increases to 230. Since there is no group theory included, no proofs of these claims exist. Quite a short investigation of experimental determination of crystal structures through X-ray diffraction is provided. The ninth chapter considers symmetries in DNA, in living bodies, snow flakes, gems, fundamental particles and invariances of physical laws under particular space-time transformations which are of course related to Lie groups. The last chapter deals briefly with polycystalline materials, quasicrystals and Penrose tiles, liquid crystals and symmetries in nanostructure. In appendices an elementary diffraction theory of X-rays in crystals and 15 solved problems are given. There are 21 references for further reading.