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Old 19-04-2011, 09:55 AM
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CraigS
Unpredictable

CraigS is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
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Hey Steven;

What makes them/why are they called 'discrete' ?

Wiki says:

Quote:
A discrete symmetry is a symmetry that describes non-continuous changes in a system. For example, a square possesses discrete rotational symmetry, as only rotations by multiples of right angles will preserve the square's original appearance. Discrete symmetries sometimes involve some type of 'swapping', these swaps usually being called reflections or interchanges. In theoretical physics, a discrete symmetry is a symmetry under the transformations of a discrete group—e.g. a topological group with a discrete topology whose elements form a finite or a countable set.
So, from that, I guess the discrete transformational group in this instance, would be: Charge, Parity and Time ? (A finite, countable set). Would these be the properties of the wavefunction of the particle ?

And thus would gravity and anti-gravity, be properties of the interactions between the particles and is thus belongs to continuous symmetry ?

Cheers

Last edited by CraigS; 19-04-2011 at 10:08 AM.
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