MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Drode's Equations (1981)
Richard Grant
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Note: This work of mathematical fiction is recommended by Alex for hardcore fans of science fiction.

When this story takes place, the fictional "Drode's Equations" have been lost for so long that they have become practically mythological. And so the historian protagonist is surprised to find them in his own family library. The author does a very good job of conveying what it feels like to look at an equation and try to understand it. As the historian gets more and more aquainted with the equations in question, he begins to realize that the significance of them is the absence of the variable representing time in one of them, even though it is supposed to be equivalent to the others in which time is explicit. As a consequence, even if just briefly, he is able to perceive the reality around him without time.

It was reprinted in The Ascent of Wonder and you can read the comments that appear in that volume about it here.

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 Drode's Equations
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. The Last Starship from Earth by John Boyd
  2. The Ah of Life by Banks Helfrich (Writer and Director)
  3. Forbidden Knowledge by Kathryn Cramer
  4. The Fatal Equation by Arthur Strangeland
  5. Ripples in the Dirac Sea by Geoffrey A. Landis
  6. Ylem by Eliot Fintushel
  7. Silicon Muse by Hilbert Schenck
  8. Dark Integers by Greg Egan
  9. Mozart on Morphine by Gregory Benford
  10. Planck Zero by Stephen Baxter
Ratings for Drode's Equations:
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:
4/5 (1 votes)
..

Categories:
GenreScience Fiction,
MotifTime Travel,
TopicMathematical Physics, Fictional Mathematics,
MediumShort Stories,

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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)