MathFiction: The Square Root of Pythagoras (Paul Di~Filippo/Rudy Rucker)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Square Root of Pythagoras (1999)

Paul Di Filippo / Rudy Rucker
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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Contributed by "William E. Emba"

Pythagoras has been granted the magical power of five numbers. Along the way he discusses his theorem, the five Platonic solids, and his general philosophy about numbers and the universe. But he entertains doubts, and discovers that sqrt(2) is irrational.

First appeared in Science Fiction Age v8 #1, November 1999 and was reprinted in collections of each author: Gnarl! by Rucker and Neutrino Drag by Di Filippo. As of October 2012, it is also available for free at Rudy Rucker's Website.

More information about this work can be found at www.rudyrucker.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 Square Root of Pythagoras

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

The Pythagoras Problem by Trevor Baxendale
Pythagoras the Mathemagician by Karim El Koussa
Mersenne's Mistake by Jason Earls
Pythagoras' Revenge: A Mathematical Mystery by Arturo Sangalli
The Smithsonian Institution by Gore Vidal
Jack and the Aktuals, or, Physical Applications of Transfinite Set Theory by Rudy Rucker
Arcadia by Iain Pears
Oracle by Greg Egan
Gödel geht [Gödel's Exit] by Andreas Findig
Dante Dreams by Stephen Baxter

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Categories:

Genre	Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy,
Motif	Real Mathematicians,
Topic
Medium	Short 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)