MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

Home All New Browse Search About

...
A Killer Theorem (2007)
Colin Adams
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
...

Mangum, P.I. returns in this mystery in which the unproven Gauss' Last Lemma is wielded as a murder weapon. Apparently, a certain approach to proving it is so enticing that merely showing it to mathematicians results in their eventual death as they forego eating in order to work on it. (This is vaguely reminiscent of Ian Frazier's killion, a number so big that anyone who thinks about it dies, and Monty Python's joke so funny that people die laughing.)

Note that Gauss' Last Lemma is not a real mathematical conjecture, though its similarity to ``Fermat's Last Theorem'' makes it sound vaguely familiar.

Originally published as Mathematical Intelligencer Volume 29, Number 3 / September, 2007, it also appears in the 2009 collection Riot at the Calc Exam.....

More information about this work can be found at another page on this Website.
(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 A Killer Theorem
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Mangum, P.I. by Colin Adams
  2. I Had to Call In a Mathematician by Erik Talvila
  3. The Killion by Ian Frazier
  4. The Riddle of the Universe & Its Solution by Christopher Cherniak
  5. A Proof of God by Colin Adams
  6. Rumpled Stiltskin by Colin Adams
  7. Schaurige Mathematik by Alexander Mehlmann
  8. Dalrymple’s Equation by Paul Fairman
  9. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
  10. The Jester and the Mathematician by Alan R. Gordon
Ratings for A Killer Theorem:
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:
4.5/5 (2 votes)
..
Literary Quality:
3.5/5 (2 votes)
..

Categories:
GenreMystery, Humorous,
MotifAcademia, Proving Theorems,
TopicFictional Mathematics,
MediumShort Stories,

Home All New Browse Search About

Exciting News: The total number of works of mathematical fiction listed in this database recently reached a milestone. The 1,500th entry is The Man of Forty Crowns by Voltaire. Thanks to Vijay Fafat for writing the summary of that work (and so many others). I am also grateful to everyone who has contributed to this website. Heck, I'm grateful to everyone who visited the site. Thank you!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)