MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

Home All New Browse Search About

...
The Star Dummy (1952)
Anthony Boucher
...

Contributed by Gerry Myerson

I learned duodecimal (and the whole concept of number bases) from "The Star Dummy," by Boucher, in Conklin's Omnibus of Science Fiction. The teddybear-shaped six- fingered alien was trying to communicate with the koalas in the zoo until an open-minded human showed up and the two traded written numbers.

Originally published in Fantastic in 1952.

Buy this work of mathematical fiction and read reviews at amazon.com. Amazon.com logo
(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 Star Dummy
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Report from the Ambassador to Cida-2 by Clifton Cunningham
  2. In the River by Justin Stanchfield
  3. The Heroic Adventures of Hercules Amsterdam by Melissa Glenn Haber
  4. The Pi Man by Alfred Bester
  5. Old Faithful by Raymond Z. Gallun
  6. Mathematica by John Russell Fearn
  7. Mathematica Plus by John Russell Fearn
  8. The Feeling of Power by Isaac Asimov
  9. Into the Comet by Arthur C. Clarke
  10. The Day the Earth Stood Still by Robert Wise (director) / Harry Bates (story) / Edmund H. North
Ratings for The Star Dummy:
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.
(unrated)

PLEASE HELP US OUT BY ENTERING YOUR OWN RATINGS FOR THIS WORK.

Categories:
GenreScience Fiction,
MotifAliens,
TopicAlgebra/Arithmetic/Number Theory,
MediumShort Stories,

Home All New Browse Search About

Your Help Needed: Some site visitors remember reading works of mathematical fiction that neither they nor I can identify. It is time to crowdsource this problem and ask for your help! You would help a neighbor find a missing pet...can't you also help a fellow site visitor find some missing works of mathematical fiction? Please take a look and let us know if you have seen these missing stories anywhere!.

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)