MathFiction: Brain Wave (Poul Anderson)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Brain Wave (1954)

Poul Anderson
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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This debut novel from SF superstar Anderson explains that the human intelligence is far more powerful than we have thus far seen. In fact, once we escape from the effects of a force field that is limiting our mental abilities, our intelligence takes a "quantum leap". The only mathematical content is a paragraph detailing the thoughts of a student who independently derives the idea of calculus while working on his algebra homework.

Contributed by penny smith

Actually there is more math content here. There is mention of solving systems of nonlinear pde in one's head. There is mention of Maxwell's equations and a book by Coddington.

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 Brain Wave

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

Tau Zero by Poul Anderson
Security by Poul Anderson
Round the Moon by Jules Verne
The God Patent by Ransom Stephens
Habitus by James Flint
The Woman Who Shook the World-Tree by Michael Swanwick
The Hollow Man by Dan Simmons
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
Star, Bright by Mark Clifton
Ratner's Star by Don DeLillo

Ratings for Brain Wave:

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:
1/5 (2 votes)

Literary Quality:
3.5/5 (2 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Science Fiction,
Motif	Genius, Prodigies, Math Education,
Topic	Analysis/Calculus/Differential,
Medium	Novels,

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(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)