MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Getting Somewhere (1995)
Jenny Pausacker
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In this Australian novel for teenagers, a student who lives in the shadow of her twin is able to find her own identity and some self-respect with the help of a maths teacher. The teacher challenges her with some open ended problems from discrete dynamics, such as studying the orbits of the difference equation
pn+1=sinpn
with different initial values. The literally chaotic behavior of such systems, and her ability to understand them, gives her a new way to think about the world and a greater confidence in herself.

Mathematician Robyn Arianrhod is said to have collaborated with the author on the mathematical portions. This book was republished in England in 1999, but now is difficult to obtain.

More information about this work can be found at www.amazon.com.
(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 Getting Somewhere
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. The Math Olympian by Richard Hoshino
  2. Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley
  3. Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin
  4. Geek High by Piper Banks
  5. Geek Abroad by Piper Banks
  6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  7. The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
  8. Very in Pieces by Megan Frazer Blakemore
  9. The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods by Ann Cameron
  10. Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant
Ratings for Getting Somewhere:
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(unrated)

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Categories:
GenreYoung Adult,
MotifMath Education,
TopicReal Mathematics, Chaos/Fractals,
MediumNovels,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)