Quanta Magazine on Instagram: "In mathematics, ubiquitous objects called groups display nearly magical powers. Though they’re defined by just a few rules, groups help illuminate an astonishing range of mysteries. They can tell you which polynomial equations are solvable, for instance, or how atoms are arranged in a crystal. And yet, among all the different kinds of groups, one type stands out. Identified in the early 1870s, Lie groups are crucial to some of the most fundamental theories in physi