Examine closely the world around you and many things that you take for granted are astonishing. Take, for example, a simple drop of liquid changing its topology as it breaks into pieces. This is an example of a singularity where physical quantities, such as the pressure, diverge at the instant of breakup. Another example is when this drop, having become untethered, falls onto a surface: if the surface is cool and dry, the drop likely will splash; if the surface is hot, however, the drop simply hovers and never touches down. Consider again: when a liquid is compressed between two smooth surfaces, it forms an expected circular disk; but when the plates are separated, quite a different pattern emerges. This is a form of dilation symmetry caused by the penetration of space. It is all around and within us. In this talk, I will emphasize the surprises and elegance of how nature arranges the texture of our lives.
Seminar Speaker: Sidney Nagel, U Chicago
Host: Driscoll
Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, Seminar, Colloquium