MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Gold-Bug (1843)
Edgar Allan Poe
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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Not only does this very famous Poe story contain a (very little) bit of mathematics in the form of a probabilistic approach to cryptography and a geometric description of the treasure hunt on the ground (as pointed out by William E. Emba), it is especially notable for the fact that it takes place here in Charleston : )

The entire story is available on-line...follow the link above or below.

More information about this work can be found at xroads.virginia.edu.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to The Gold-Bug
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. The Balloon Hoax by Edgar Allan Poe
  2. The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
  3. The Power of Words by Edgar Allan Poe
  4. Kavanagh by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  5. The Franklin's Tale (in The Canterbury Tales) by Geoffrey Chaucer
  6. Mortal Immortal by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
  7. Micromegas by François Marie Arouet de Voltaire
  8. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  9. The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason
  10. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Ratings for The Gold-Bug:
RatingsHave you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.
Mathematical Content:
1.33/5 (3 votes)
..
Literary Quality:
4/5 (4 votes)
..

Categories:
Genre
Motif
TopicComputers/Cryptography, Geometry/Topology/Trigonometry,
MediumShort Stories, Available Free Online,

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(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)