MathFiction: Blowups Happen (Robert A. Heinlein)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Blowups Happen (1940)

Robert A. Heinlein
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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Contributed by "William E. Emba"

A mathematician discovers that his formulas predict that an important new power station poses an extremely grave risk to humanity, and he must convince others of the danger.

reprinted in THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW.

At least temporarily available in HTML format at webscription.net.

Contributed by Anonymous

More physical or physico-mathematical than actually mathematical fiction, and moreover it throws in a bit of mumbo-jumbo à la Korzybski (a unified approach to physics, psychology, economics... you name it), but readable nevertheless.

Buy this work of mathematical fiction and read reviews at amazon.com.
(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 Blowups Happen

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

The Year of the Jackpot by Robert A. Heinlein
A Slight Miscalculation by Ben Bova
Buried Alive at the End of the World by Blair Bourrassa
Misfit by Robert A. Heinlein
And He Built a Crooked House by Robert A. Heinlein
Starman Jones by Robert A. Heinlein
The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein
Psychohistorical Crisis by Donald Kingsbury
Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett (aka Henry Kuttner and Catherine L. Moore)
A Subway Named Moebius by A.J. Deutsch

Ratings for Blowups Happen:

Ratings

Have 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:
3.5/5 (2 votes)

Literary Quality:
3/5 (2 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Science Fiction,
Motif	Cool/Heroic Mathematicians, Future Prediction through Math,
Topic	Mathematical Physics,
Medium	Short Stories, Available Free Online,

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(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)