Hello everyone. My name is Tim White, and I'm a professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It's my pleasure to be your guide through this course, Beauty, Form and Function, and Exploration of Symmetry. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to symmetry and also to teach you a little about how to use mathematical descriptors for symmetry and to recognize symmetry in your everyday surroundings. The course is challenging but not impossible for the layperson. It's really designed for teachers, students at high school or primary school, architects, or anyone with an interest in symmetry. Throughout this course, you'll have the opportunity to hear from experts who work with symmetry every day. For example, we will visit the botanic gardens in Singapore and learn about the use of symmetry to describe flowers, particularly orchids and also cactus. We will also visit the famous Peranakan shophouses in Singapore, and tiles are an important part of their facades. Unfortunately, they are being lost very quickly. We will learn about how these tiles are restored and reused, not only for building but also, as works of art. We will also delve into the use and importance of symmetry in science, in particular, that aspect called chirality. Chirality proves to be very important in the design of drugs, and if this is not done properly, then there can be severe consequences. For the artists, we will spend some time looking at the famous designs created by Ayesha. Everybody knows that these designs were related to symmetry. In this course, you'll learn how Ayesha used symmetry to create very intricate designs, but based on the very simple principles of symmetry. Now let's turn to the way in which the course is structured and how you will learn your statements of accomplishment. Broadly, the course is divided into two halves. In the first half, we are concerned with concepts of symmetry. Here you will begin to get practice at recognizing symmetry in common objects and how this is described mathematically. Primarily, the first half is concerned with what is known as point symmetry or one-dimensional symmetry. As we move into the second half of the course, it becomes progressively more complicated, and we begin to examine plane symmetry or two-dimensional symmetry, and finally, space symmetry, especially as it applies to crystal structures. There will be three types of assessment for this course. The first type will be simple multiple-choice questions. These questions come in batches of 10, and you are able to attempt them three times, with the highest mark taken as your final score. In addition, there will be two field exercises. In the first field exercise, you will need to photograph objects with particular point symmetry, and you will need to describe that point symmetry mathematically. The second field exercise is similar, but now you'll be looking for plane symmetry. This experiential part of the course is very important to reinforce the ideas that are given in the lectures. Finally, there will be a learning log which you complete towards the end of the course. This is where you have the opportunity to reflect on what you've learned and also to see how much you've gained through your studies. Both the field exercises and the learning logs are peer-reviewed and will be examined by three fellow students. The peer-reviewing is a wonderful learning experience in itself, and you can use this to see how other students have tackled these exercises. Although you could complete this course by just studying the core materials, there are a wide range of extra items included. For example, there are director's cuts, this is where we include the full interviews with our experts. Depending on your interests, whether it be architectural, botanical, or general design, you could study these in more detail. There are also a number of video book reviews. This will introduce you to some solid textbooks which can help you with your studies. But of course, this is not comprehensive. They are a guide to allow you to go to your local library or go to the Internet and discover new materials for yourself. In any case, whether you are taking this course for fun, for interest, or for credit, I hope you enjoy it very much, and I hope that your studies go very well.
