Ytterbium Surprise – the meeting of a rare earth element with symmetry, group theory and culture


Aspinall, Helen C (2026) Ytterbium Surprise – the meeting of a rare earth element with symmetry, group theory and culture Inorganica Chimica Acta, 589. p. 122950. ISSN 0020-1693

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Abstract

This article uses concepts of symmetry and group theory that are familiar to the inorganic chemist to explain some of the theory of the ancient (4 centuries old) practice of change ringing on church bells. The algorithms that are used by change ringers to enable them to ring all possible permutations on n bells are known as ‘methods’, and every element in the Periodic Table gives its name to at least one method. Of all these ‘elemental methods’, the most performed is Ytterbium Surprise Major – hence providing a link between rare earth chemistry and culture.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 3402 Inorganic Chemistry, 34 Chemical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 19 Nov 2025 16:22
Last Modified: 06 Jan 2026 22:50
DOI: 10.1016/j.ica.2025.122950
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2025.122950
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3195517
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