MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Zero (2009)
Buzz Mauro
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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An awkward, middle-aged math teacher stumbles (quite literally) into a sexual relationship with an unusual young woman.

The character occasionally thinks in mathematical terms. Towards the beginning, he thinks of how reassuring probabilities and the certainty of equations are, and by the end about how this is no longer the case. However, there is really very little explicit mathematics in the story. If not for the fact that it is interesting to compare and contrast this story with other more mathematical ones in Mauro's ouvre, I might not have included it here at all, despite the fact that it is very well written and emotionally potent.

Published in Isotope 7.2, Fall/Winter 2009.

(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 Zero
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Cryptology by Leonard Michaels
  2. Fractions by Buzz Mauro
  3. The Trachtenberg Speed System by Buzz Mauro
  4. The Last Theorem by Buzz Mauro
  5. Long Division by Buzz Mauro
  6. Long Division by Michael Redhill
  7. The Solitude of Prime Numbers [La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi] by Paolo Giordano
  8. Orpheus Lost: A Novel by Janette Turner Hospital
  9. The Axiom of Choice by David Corbett
  10. Continuity by Buzz Mauro
Ratings for Zero:
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:
1/5 (1 votes)
..
Literary Quality:
5/5 (1 votes)
.

Categories:
Genre
MotifAnti-social Mathematicians, Romance,
TopicProbability/Statistics,
MediumShort Stories,

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Exciting News: The 1,600th entry was recently added to this database of mathematical fiction! Also, for those of you interested in non-fictional math books let me (shamelessly) plug the recent release of the second edition of my soliton theory textbook.

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)