Is symmetry informative? The answer is both yes and no. We examine what information and symmetry are and how they are related. Our approach is primarily mathematical, not because mathematics provides the final word, but because it provides an insightful and relatively precise starting point. Information theory treats transformations that messages undergo from source to destination. Symmetries are information that leave some property of interest unchanged. In this respect the studies of information and symmetry can both be regarded as a Quest for the identity transformation.

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Improvements in how densely spheres and other shapes can be packed together could lead to advances in materials science, deep space communication and theoretical physics.