MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Round the Moon (1870)
Jules Verne
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
Highly Rated!

This early science fiction novel about space travel (published originally in French, of course) contains two chapters with explicit (and very nice) mathematical content.

In Chapter 4 (A Little Algebra) the characters discuss the computations necessary for determining the initial speed necessary to complete their journey...and discover that the official computation was incorrect! It is a nice demonstration of the power and usefulness of mathematics. There is also mention of the non-integrabilty of the three body problem, the relationship between integral and differential calculus, and (at least a hint) of the fact that the body of mathematical knowledge is still growing.

Then, in Chapter 15 (Hyperbola or Parabola) , a discussion of the difference between these two geometric figures grows out of questions concerning their trajectory. The descriptions in terms of conic sections are very nice, as are the reactions of their "mathematically challenged" crew member.

Much thanks to Michel Lasvergnas for finding this work of mathematical fiction.

The book is available online (in both English and the original French) at many Websites. Click on the links above for one example.

Note that Verne wrote many other stories involving mathematics. See From the Earth to the Moon (a prequel of this work) and also Topsy-Turvy for a listing of several others.

Contributed by Tina Chang

Personally I loved the part where they described how things which are disposed of outside a spacecraft just continue alongside it. I really enjoyed this book when I was a kid.

More information about this work can be found at www.gutenberg.org.
(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 Round the Moon
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. From the Earth to the Moon [De la Terre à la Lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes] by Jules Verne
  2. The Balloon Hoax by Edgar Allan Poe
  3. Topsy-turvy (Sans Dessus Dessous) by Jules Verne
  4. The Tachypomp by Edward Page Mitchell
  5. A Slight Miscalculation by Ben Bova
  6. Somnium by Johannes Kepler
  7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  8. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
  9. War and Peace by Lev Tolstoy
  10. Micromegas by François Marie Arouet de Voltaire
Ratings for Round the Moon:
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 (3 votes)
..
Literary Quality:
4.33/5 (3 votes)
..

Categories:
GenreScience Fiction,
MotifMath as Beautiful/Exciting/Useful,
TopicGeometry/Topology/Trigonometry, Algebra/Arithmetic/Number Theory, Analysis/Calculus/Differential,
MediumNovels, Available Free Online,

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Exciting News: The 1,600th entry was recently added to this database of mathematical fiction! Also, for those of you interested in non-fictional math books let me (shamelessly) plug the recent release of the second edition of my soliton theory textbook.

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)