Topography and symmetry. I've been reading a book by a female astrophysicist about the shape of space. Although short on technical matters she brings the reader right into the personalities and idiosynchronisities of her colleagues, most of whom I've met elsewhere. Not with such clarity. Just as I got totally involved in the book she started to discuss topography. Which is defined as 'precise detailed study of the surface features of a region'. Sounds simple enough. But brilliant me just can't seem to grasp the details of its use. It's in the same class as symmetry. Simple to define, difficult to understand (for me). I just can't figure out how to address a problem using these tools.
So today I put the book aside for consideration at some future date. While the ideas percolate I returned to a book I had started before by Kip Thorne who writes about black holes. More familiar than symmetry and far more understandable.
Topics impossible to understand are proof that we're all on this flight together.
Dick
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