MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

Home All New Browse Search About

...
Pyramids (2001)
Terry Pratchett
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
...

Thanks to Aaron Gullison for pointing out that in this Discworld novel, "the camels are all mathematicians, and think in math." For instance,

(quoted from Pyramids)

The greatest mathematician alive on the Disc, and in fact the last one in the Old Kingdom, stretched out in his stall and counted the pieces of straw in his bedding. Then he estimated the number of nails in the wall. Then he spent a few minutes proving that an automorphic resonance field has a semi-infinite number of irresolute prime ideals. After that, in order to pass the time, he ate his breakfast again.

This camel, the brilliant mathematician "You Bastard", realizes that something is wrong with mathematics:

(quoted from Pyramids)

You Bastard was thinking: there seems to be some growing dimensional instability here, swinging from zero to nearly forty-five degrees by the look of it. How interesting, I wonder what's causing it? Let V equal 3. Let Tau equal Chi/4. cudcudcud Let Kappa/y be an Evil-Smelling-Bugger differential tensor domain with four imaginary spin coefficients....

Ptraci hit him across the head with her sandal. "Come on, get a move on!" she yelled. You Bastard thought: Therefore H to the enabling power equals V/s. cudcudcud Thus in hypersyllogical notation...

Funny, but mostly meaningless as far as I can tell.

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 Pyramids
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett
  2. The Mathematics of Magic by L. Sprague de Camp / Fletcher Pratt
  3. Monday Begins on Saturday by Arkady Strugatsky / Boris Strugatsky
  4. A Very Good Year by Jack C. Haldeman (II)
  5. The Devil You Don't by Keith Laumer
  6. Math Takes a Holiday by Paul Di Filippo
  7. A Deadly Medley of Smedley by Feargus Gwynplaine MacIntyre
  8. Spaceland by Rudy Rucker
  9. Flatterland: like Flatland, only more so by Ian Stewart
  10. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
Ratings for Pyramids:
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:
GenreHumorous, Science Fiction, Fantasy,
Motif
Topic
MediumNovels,

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)