$If you have even a passing interest in math, i.e., if you see an equation and don’t recoil as if you just spotted a spider moseying up your thig$

12 Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

submited by

Style Pass

2024-02-10 11:30:06

If you have even a passing interest in math, i.e., if you see an equation and don’t recoil as if you just spotted a spider moseying up your thigh, then these books are for you.

In 1884, Edwin A. Abbott published a brilliant novel about mathematics and philosophy that charmed and fascinated all of England. As both a witty satire of Victorian society and a means by which to explore the fourth dimension, Flatland remains a tour de force. (It’s also on this list.)

In this modern sequel to Abbott’s book, larger-than-life characters explore our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications. The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square’s diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who becomes her guide and mentor through eleven dimensions. Along the way, we meet Schrödinger’s Cat, The Charming Construction Entity, The Mandelblot (who lives in Fractalia), and Moobius the one-sided cow.

“[E]njoyable, quirky and entertaining… communicates fundamental concepts of modern mathematics and physics to the general reader most effectively.” —New Scientist