Why is the universe asymmetrical?

Just a stupid question:

Why is the universe not symmetrical, and if it is, why isn't its content symmetrical?

 

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your face ins't symetrical......whay isn't it?

there are no straight lines in Nature. why is that?

I am understanding reality, Nature, the universe to be organic, and not ordered in a way that geometrically-minded 'logicians' might hope for

 

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The paradoxes that arise from expecting the states of the universe to be symmetrical is called Curie's principle. In fact, the laws that govern the universe are highly symmetrical, but there is no particular reason why the solutions to a symmetrical equation should itself be symmetrical. In fact, it is only the set of all solutions which has that symmetry. For many systems, there simply is no one solution that exhibits the symmetry. there are many sources for the disappearance of symmetry. One of them is spontaneous symmetry breaking, which I'm talking about with QuarkHead in some other thread right now. But there are others.

With that in mind, the question isn't "why isn't the universe symmetrical?", but rather "why would anyone expect it to be symmetrical, when that is in fact a mathematical impossibility?"

 

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Is a perfect sphere a mathematical impossibility?

 

Your face isn't symmetrical because of environmental influences. I can imagine there was no environment before the big bang???

 

In what sense are you applying symmetry? Geometric, as with your sphere? Or in another sense?

 

I don't know. The question of asymmetry justed popped into my mind and didn't let go. I wonder if it is an essential question to ask. Why is the universe not symmetrical, or why is it asymmetrical.

I don't know anything about physics so I don't know.

Has it got anything to do with quantum mechanics? Where those the laws that can make symmetry disappear?

Or was the singularity that started the big bang never symmetric to start with?

I imagine that there could be many causes for the asymmetry of the universe.

Or is the universe expanding in symmetric manner, but its contents not???

The question raises many subquestions...hence this thread. I am just curious.

 

No, of course not.

 

spuriousmonkey,
it is not a stupid question.
Moreover, it is the one of the most fundamental question for Science in all the times. It was discussed many times in respect of many aspects and levels of our knowledge of Nature and still ... has no satisfying answer. If I will have a time, I will tell you about some of dramatic attempts to answer this question.
So, do not underestimate yourself...

 

yeah, sometimes it's quantization that breaks the symmetry of a theory. When this happens, it's called dynamical symmetry breaking.

 

Spuriousmonkey, where'd ya hear that the universe is asymmetrical?

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I don't know if the universe is asymmetrical. I assume it is because its content doesn't seem symmetrically distributed. That wouldn't necessarily mean that the shape of the universe isn't. But I just know to little about the subject to speculate on this matter.

 

Oh, I thought ya meant the shape of the universe itself was asymmetrical. Haha, I'm not confused anymore.

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Well, is it?

 

I have no idea.

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A perfect sphere is possible if the factors (eg surface tension as in liquid drops, powerful gravity as in black holes etc) are powerful enough that make the area of boundary of the given volume to be minimum. In nature there are more factors ( assymetric forces, field gradients etc) that make this impossible. I doubt whether any perfect sphere exists really.

 

yeah, the Big Bang would be the first asymmetrical event.
Symmetry connotes perfect balance, invariance, enthropy, death..

 

For musicians, poets and painters and most art forms there is a thing called asymmetrical symmetry.

When you look at a tree, it has great symmetry yet it's geometry is asymmetrical. Same with things like clouds, star scapes, galaxies etc etc.

None are geometrical symmetries and yet they are symmetrical.

The human face is a classic example of asymetric symmetry. where the symmetry is harder to 'Draw" yet able to be seen.

Van Goughs sunflowers is another good example of asymetrical symmetry.

 

Not looking to muddy the water here or have an arguement but your statement brought to mind the fact that a sphere is formed on the factor of Pi and Pi has an infinite sequence of decimals. So how is it possible to mathematically achieve a perfect sphere?

 

all numbers have an infinite sequence of digits. So what? Do you think that numbers are mathematically impossible?

here is a mathematical representation of a perfect sphere, just to prove to you that it is indeed possible

S² = {(x,y,z)&isin;<b>R</b>³ | x²+y²+z²=1}