Science Café | (A)Symmetries In Nature

Science Café | (A)Symmetries In Nature

Categories: Lectures and Seminars, Panel Discussions, Virtual | Intended for

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Add to calendar

Location Details

A Zoom Webinar Event

Contact Information

Rima Mattar, 6137169790, odscience@carleton.ca

Cost

$0

About this Event

Host Organization: Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science | Carleton University

Nature loves symmetries and so do physicists! We have a left and a right hand. If you blow a bubble, it will be a sphere – the most symmetric geometry. If you push on a wall, it will push back. These symmetries are often encoded in physical laws and they are a central part of how our universe, from its fundamental building blocks to galaxies, works.

And yet, nothing is truly symmetric either. Some of us are right-handed, some left-handed. Earth is not a perfect sphere. There are little but important deviations from symmetry all around us. These asymmetries turn out to be as important as symmetries. One of the most important asymmetries in our universe is this: There is virtually no antimatter in the universe! Humans, trees, ravens, the Sun, the Solar System… are all made up of matter and not antimatter. In this talk we will explore some of the most important symmetries and how they are broken. Come with a twin if you have one!