Group Think

Group theory “bridges the arts and sciences,” writes Steven Strogatz. “It addresses something the two cultures share—an abiding fascination with symmetry.” He explains how group theory “underlies everything from the choreography of contra dancing and the fundamental laws of particle physics, to the mosaics of the Alhambra,” and goes on to show how it can be used to find all of the ways to flip a mattress, among other things.