MathFiction: Gauß, Eisenstein, and the ``third'' proof of the Quadratic Reciprocity Theorem: Ein kleines Schauspiel (Reinhard C. Laubenbacher / David J. Pengelley )

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Gauß, Eisenstein, and the ``third'' proof of the Quadratic Reciprocity Theorem: Ein kleines Schauspiel (1994)

Reinhard C. Laubenbacher / David J. Pengelley
...

Contributed by Vijay Fafat

It is presented as a dialogue/drama between Gauss and Eisenstein, talking about the third proof of Gauss's reciprocity theorem (perhaps the actors are supposed to draw symbols in the air to make the proof even more accessible to the general audience :-) ). The final line is quite nice, where Eisenstein muses, "I wonder if Gauss already had my geometric view of his transformations when he published his third proof in 1808, and if the old fox has merely been humoring me all along in our conversation."

Originally published as Mathematical Intelligencer 16 (1994), 67-72, but now available free online.

More information about this work can be found at www.math.nmsu.edu.
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Works Similar to Gauß, Eisenstein, and the ``third'' proof of the Quadratic Reciprocity Theorem: Ein kleines Schauspiel

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Ratings for Gauß, Eisenstein, and the ``third'' proof of the Quadratic Reciprocity Theorem: Ein kleines Schauspiel:

Ratings

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Mathematical Content:
5/5 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
2/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Didactic,
Motif	Proving Theorems, Real Mathematicians,
Topic	Algebra/Arithmetic/Number Theory, Real Mathematics,
Medium	Plays, 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)