MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator (1935)
Murray Leinster
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Contributed by "William E. Emba"

Uses the fourth dimension as geewhiz terminology to explain a matter duplicator/unduplicator. Includes a tesseract. But if you ignore the story's explanation involving time as the fourth dimension for the rank pointlessness that it is, and substitute a genuinely geometric fourth dimension for the effects that happen (as in, reality has a bit of 4D thickness, and the contraption grabs slices) then it's not actually all that bad.

At least temporarily, this story is available for free on-line from webscription.net. I didn't put it there so I have no idea how much longer it is likely to stay before a copyright holder forces them to take it down.

Contributed by Robert W. Franson

This story first appeared in Astounding, December 1935.

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 The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Another Cock Tale by Chris Miller
  2. The Fifth-Dimension Catapult by Murray Leinster
  3. The Ethical Equations by Murray Leinster
  4. Sidewise in Time by Murray Leinster
  5. The Magic Staircase by Nelson Slade Bond
  6. Technical Error by Arthur C. Clarke
  7. The Appendix and the Spectacles by Miles J. Breuer (M.D.)
  8. The Gostak and the Doshes by Miles J. Breuer (M.D.)
  9. Into the Fourth by Adam Hull Shirk
  10. The Four Dimensional Surgery by Bob Olsen
Ratings for The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator:
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:
3/5 (1 votes)
..
Literary Quality:
3/5 (1 votes)
..

Categories:
GenreScience Fiction,
MotifHigher/Lower Dimensions,
TopicGeometry/Topology/Trigonometry,
MediumShort Stories, Available Free Online,

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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)