Marcus du Sautoy is a mathematician and Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science. In this TED talk he explores how the world turns on symmetry — from the spin of subatomic particles to the dizzying beauty of an arabesque — complete with an introduction to groups.

Marcus du Sautoy has also written several articles for Plus:

• The prime number lottery;
• The music of the primes;
• Beckham in his prime numbers.