Communications - Scientific Letters of the University of Zilina 2018, 20(11):144-148 | DOI: 10.26552/com.C.2018.1A.144-148

The Role of Beauty in Physics

Ivan Melo1
1 Department of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina, Slovakia

The goal of physics is to look for the truth behind the physical phenomena. Where is the place for the beauty then? The truth can be in principle ugly in one case and aesthetically pleasing in another. Nevertheless, many physical theories can be considered as beautiful and are often formulated with aesthetic criteria in mind. These criteria include the ability to explain a lot starting from a little and/or some form of symmetry. Several examples of beautiful laws will be discussed along with opinions of particle physicists on beauty.

Keywords: beauty in physical theories; symmetry; simplicity; truth

Published: May 31, 2018  Show citation

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Melo, I. (2018). The Role of Beauty in Physics. Communications - Scientific Letters of the University of Zilina, 20(1A), 144-148. doi: 10.26552/com.C.2018.1A.144-148
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