"Rather mathematicians like to look for patterns, and the primes probably offer the ultimate challenge. When you look at a list of them stretching off to infinity, they look chaotic, like weeds growing through an expanse of grass representing all numbers. For centuries mathematicians have striven to find rhyme and reason amongst this jumble. Is there any music that we can hear in this random noise? Is there a fast way to spot that a particular number is prime? Once you have one prime, how much further must you count before you find the next one on the list? These are the sort of questions that have tantalized generations." (Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes", 1998)
"[…] despite their apparent simplicity and fundamental character, prime numbers remain the most mysterious objects studied by mathematicians. In a subject dedicated to finding patterns and order, the primes offer the ultimate challenge." (Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes", 2003)
"Despite the unworldly nature of mathematics, mathematicians still have egos that need massaging. Nothing acts as a better drive to the creative process than the thought of the immortality bestowed by having your name attached to a theorem." (Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes", 2003)
"The primes have been a constant companion in our exploration of the mathematical world yet they remain the most enigmatic of all numbers. Despite the best efforts of the greatest mathematical minds to explain the modulation and transformation of this mystical music, the primes remain an unanswered riddle." (Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes", 2003)
"The concept of proof perhaps marks the true beginning of mathematics as the art of deduction rather than just numerological observation, the point at which mathematical alchemy gave way to mathematical chemistry." (Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes", 2004)
"A proof is like a piece of theatre or music, with moments of
high drama where some major shift takes the audience into a new realm."
"As mathematicians had gradually got to grips with what
symmetry actually meant, they seemed to be gazing upon an endless world filled
with a chaotic and infinitely varied range of symmetrical objects."
"For both primes and symmetries, zeta functions act as black
boxes. They are built from a formula which binds together the numbers you are
trying to understand. The hope is that the zeta function will reveal new
insights into the numbers of symmetries. It provides a way of getting from part
of the mathematical world where chaos seems to reign to a completely different
region where one can start to pick out patterns."
"For the mathematician, the pattern searcher, understanding symmetry is one of the principal themes in the quest to chart the mathematical world." (Marcus du Sautoy, "Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature", 2008)
"Science is about discovery, but it is also about
communication. An idea can hardly be said to exist if you do not awaken that
same idea in someone else."
"Symmetry continues to inform the way we craft words in songs and poetry. From the first cave paintings to modern art, from primitive drumbeats to contemporary music, artists have continually pushed symmetry to the extremes."(Marcus du Sautoy, "Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature", 2008)
"The word ‘symmetry’ conjures to mind objects which are well balanced, with perfect proportions. Such objects capture a sense of beauty and form. The human mind is constantly drawn to anything that embodies some aspect of symmetry. Our brain seems programmed to notice and search for order and structure. Artwork, architecture and music from ancient times to the present day play on the idea of things which mirror each other in interesting ways. Symmetry is about connections between different parts of the same object. It sets up a natural internal dialogue in the shape." (Marcus du Sautoy, "Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature", 2008)
"Why, though, is symmetry so pervasive in nature? It is not
just a matter of aesthetics. Just as it is for me and mathematics, symmetry in
nature is about language. It provides a way for animals and plants to convey a
multitude of messages, from genetic superiority to nutritional information.
Symmetry is often a sign of meaning, and can therefore be interpreted as a very
basic, almost primeval form of communication." (Marcus du Sautoy, "Symmetry: A
Journey into the Patterns of Nature", 2008)
"Just as music is not about reaching the final chord, mathematics is about more than just the result. It is the journey that excites the mathematician. I read and reread proofs in much the same way as I listen to a piece of music: understanding how themes are established, mutated, interwoven and transformed. What people don't realise about mathematics is that it involves a lot of choice: not about what is true or false (I can't make the Riemann hypothesis false if it's true), but from deciding what piece of mathematics is worth ‘listening to’." (Marcus du Sautoy, "Listen by Numbers: Music and Maths", 2011)
"Mathematics has beauty and romance. It's not a boring place to be, the mathematical world. It's an extraordinary place; it's worth spending time there." (Marcus Du Sautoy)
"The reason why we do maths is because it's like poetry. It's about patterns, and that really turned me on. It made me feel that maths was in tune with the other things I liked doing." (Marcus du Sautoy)
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