<human>:  Why is the metric tensor a symmetric function in the work of Hermann Minkowski?
<bot>: Because the metric tensor is the metric of the Minkowski spacetime. The Minkowski spacetime is a special kind of spacetime that is flat. A flat spacetime is one in which the curvature is zero everywhere. The metric tensor is a function that tells us how to measure distances and angles in a spacetime. In the Minkowski spacetime, the metric tensor is a function that is constant and therefore is symmetric.