What do the music of J. S. Bach, the basic forces of nature, Rubik's Cube, and the selection of mates have in common? They are all characterized by certain symmetries. Symmetry is the concept that bridges the gap between science and art, between the world of theoretical physics and the everyday world we see around us. Yet the "language" of symmetry--group theory in mathematics--emerged from a most unlikely source: an equation that couldn't be solved.

Over the millennia, mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations until they came to what is known as the quintic equation. For several centuries it resisted solution, until two mathematical prodigies independently discovered that it could not be solved by the usual methods, thereby opening the door to group theory. These young geniuses, a Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel and a Frenchman named Evariste Galois, both died tragically. Galois, in fact, spent the night before his fatal duel (at the age of twenty) scribbling another brief summary of his proof, at one point writing in the margin of his notebook "I have no time."

The story of the equation that couldn't be solved is a story of brilliant mathematicians and a fascinating account of how mathematics illuminates a wide variety of disciplines. In this lively, engaging book, Mario Livio shows in an easily accessible way how group theory explains the symmetry and order of both the natural and the human-made worlds.

马里奥·利维奥是一位资深的天文学家和太空望远镜科学研究所(STScl)科学部的前部长，太空望远镜科学研究所带领组织了哈勃太空望远镜的科学计划。他在以色列特拉维夫大学获得了理论天体物理学博士学位，1981～1991年期间是以色列理工学院物理系教授。在STScl，他发表了400多篇科学论文，获得了众多的研究奖项和杰出教育奖。他是《黄金比例》和《加速的宇宙》的作者。《黄金比例》是一本获得高度评价的关于数学和艺术的书，他因此书获得了国际毕达哥拉斯奖和皮亚诺奖。

王志标(1980～)，男，获中科院数学与系统科学研究院管理学博士学位，中国人民大学经济学硕士学位。现为河南大学经济学院副教授。