MathFiction: The Gate of the Flying Knives (Poul Anderson)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Gate of the Flying Knives (1979)

Poul Anderson
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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For his contribution to the first "Thieves' World" collection, Poul Anderson contributed a fantasy story about an illustrated scroll which forms a gateway between dimensions.

As the story progresses, there are a few clues indicating that mathematics will play a role. Jamie CAppen, a "rationalist" who is skeptical of magic, claims he can demonstrate some tricks as well:

(quoted from The Gate of the Flying Knives)

"Some are quite elegant, virtual exercises in three-dimensional geometry." See interest kindle in her, he added, "I studied mathematics in boyhood; my father before he died, wanted me to have a gentleman's education. The main part has rusted away in me, but I remember useful or picturesque details."

....

After the meal, and after Danlis had scrambled off to ghet a closer look at a kind of lizard new to her, Cappen demonstrated his skill. She was especially taken -- enchanted -- by his geometric artifices. Like any Rankan lady, she carried a sewing kit in her gear; and being herslef she had writing materials along. Thus he could apply scissors and thread to paper. He showed how a single ring may be cut to produce two that are interlocked, and how a strip may be twisted to have but one surface and one edge, wand whatever else he knew.

When the gateway between universes is being explained to Cappen, references are made to "the theory of dimensions, the subtler aspects of geometry."

The resolution should be obvious to most readers at this point, but if it is not, I urge you to stop reading now before I get to the "spoiler" below if you have any interest in reading Anderson's cute story.

Of course, the solution to the problem posed by this gateway between universes (and the punchline to the joke that this story represents) occurs when Cappen takes the scroll and forms it into a Möbius band so that it no longer has two sides (one in each universe), but rather becomes a single-sided surface.

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(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 Gate of the Flying Knives

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

Calculated Magic by Robert Weinberg
Moebius Trip by Janny Wurts
The Tower of Babylon by Ted Chiang
Counting the Shapes by Yoon Ha Lee
Operation Chaos / Operation Changeling by Poul Anderson
Your Magic or Mine by Ann Macela
Voyage of the Shadowmoon by Sean McMullen
Matrices by Steven Nightingale
Black Numbers by Dean Frank Lappi
Phantom by Terry Goodkind

Ratings for The Gate of the Flying Knives:

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 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
3/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Fantasy,
Motif	Higher/Lower Dimensions, Mobius Strip/Nonorientability,
Topic	Geometry/Topology/Trigonometry,
Medium	Short Stories,

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(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)