All Stories (217)

Sorted by date of original publication

Regrets of a Cantab

John Cowley

Added May 22, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1825.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A very long, poignant stream of thoughts and regrets of an older mathematician. The piece can easily pass off as fiction, though we should note that this is NOT a work of mathematical fiction but written by a Senior Wrangler from Cambridge in early nineteenth century. It is "Potential Mathfiction".
The Young Arithmetician (The Young Mathematician) (The Reward of Perseverance)

Anonymous

Added May 22, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1832.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A young girl for whom Arithmetic had been the bane of life found new inspiration to master her father’s accounting statements…
Fruits of Perseverance

Anonymous

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1841.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A very young child’s first struggle at writing and learning about numbers, and his inspiration to do better…
Bees

Anonymous

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1848.
- Geometric Design
A short story which makes the Argument-from-Design by pointing out the mathematical principles used by bees in their hives.
The Old Mathematician - A Sketch from the Life

Dinah Maria Muloch

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published March, 1848.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A very moving tale of a nameless mathematician’s toils in lifelong pursuit of his craft, and the few moments of true joy he experienced for a love he never expressed nor let be known…
The Old Mathematician (from Maschalk Manor)

Anonymous

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1848.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A very amusing story of a mathematician who retires in a small hamlet amongst very simple people who are far from mathematical ideas, and ones who find his scholarship to be the kind around which legends should be spun… For fans of “Cheers”, sometimes you want to go where nobody knows your name…
Porter Piper The Mathematician

Anonymous

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published July, 1849.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A listless recounting of the life of a mathematician, to no particular end.
The Young Philosopher - A Sketch for Parents

Sylvanus Cobb Jr

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published Jul, 1852.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A short work which highlights the prevailing scholastic attitude in the early nineteenth century, with apathy toward finer subjects like philosophy in favor of harder sciences.
The Man of Forty Crowns

Voltaire

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published 1868.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
- Financial Mathematics
A wide-ranging discussion between a land-owner and a mathematically-oriented economics scholar in the mid-eighteenth century France.
The Tale of a Comet

Edward Spencer

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published May Jun, 1870.
- Mathematical Genius
- Alien Mathematics
A lyrical tale about a child from the stars…
Inquirendo Island

Hudor Genone

Added May 29, 2024.
Originally published 1886.
- Mathematics as Religion
A full-length novel which showcases a society in which Mathematics is religion… and in a “postface”, the narrator worries whether such a minute description of an alternative “truth” might sway Christians away from their own religion.
A Cruise in a Soap Bubble

Bynner Lassetter

Added May 19, 2024.
Originally published 1891.
- Flatland
- Geometry
A dream-journey in a soap bubble to lower dimensions…
Barr's Problem

Julian Hawthorne

Added May 22, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1892.
- Other Dimensions
The tale of a young man winning the hand of a mathematician’s daughter, despite getting momentarily tricked out of his love by the professor.
What the Tortoise Said to Achilles

Lewis Carroll

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1895.
A Socratic dialogue on logic, in classic Carrollian style.
Sixteen Years Without a Birthday

Brander Matthews

Added May 25, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1895.
- Recreational Mathematics
- Mathematical Puzzles
A tall tale about unusual birthday pattern.
Silas P. Cornu's Dry Calculator

Henry Hering

Added May 29, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1898.
- Mathematical Device
One of those stories where a spectacular gadget fails…spectacularly…
Applied Mathematics

Percival Henry Truman

Added May 20, 2024.
Originally published 1898.
- Parable
The fate of a lover’s heart lost to a princess hinges on the precise answer to a farcical and hilarious mathematical point of contention…
Love and a Triangle

Stanley Waterloo

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published 1899.
- Pythagoras Theorem
- Alien Mathematics
A superb story about earth trying to communicate with Mars by means of mathematics, in the days before electronic communication was a reality…
The Shadow of the God

Charles Newman Hall

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published 1900.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
- Trigonometry
How mathematics saves the day in old Mexico, with love as a further reward…
The Scientific Circle

Clyde Newkirk

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 1900.
- Topography
A soft, gently-paced tale of a mathematics professor outwitting a bandit in Old Mexico.
A Mathematician's Love Story

James Aitken

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published 1901.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
First loves last a lifetime…. As seen in this story of a mathematician in the age of innocence…
Adventure of the Dancing Men

Arthur Conan Doyle

Added May 21, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1903.
- Cryptography
A cipher involving dancing men, and Sherlock Holmes with Dr. Watson. What else is there to know before reading the story?
The A, B, C of the Higher Mathematics

Ramaswami Aiyar

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published May, 1907.
- Parable
A very brief mythology about the birth of Calculus.
When the Devil Took the Professor (Wie der Teufel den Professor holte)

Kurd Lasswitz

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published 1907.
- Strange Geography
The Devil learns a global topology lesson from the soul of a mathematics professor.
The Ghosts

Lord Dunsany

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1908.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
- Euclidean Geometry
How the rationality of Euclid’s geometry prevented a hallucinating brother from murder…
The Professor's Experiments (The Dimension of Time)

Paul Bold

Added May 26, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1910.
- Other Dimensions
A mathematical physicist finds out that our Time has gaps in it… and gets lost in one of them…
Flashlight (One Best Bet)

Samuel Hopkins Adams

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1911.
- Geometry
An amateur detective solves a code which announced the assassination of a governor using some dubious mathematics.
Space

John Buchan

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published May, 1911.
- Other Dimensions
The ruminations of a mathematician about the nature of space, of an unseen reality governed by – and accessible through – mathematical laws, ultimately leading to his demise – or an ascension to this ethereal realm…
Mathematician's Heaven

Francis Hunter

Added May 29, 2024.
Originally published May, 1912.
- Other Dimensions
A humdrum story about a mathematics professor getting lost in the fourth dimension…
A Matter of Geometry

Ared White

Added May 20, 2024.
Originally published May, 1915.
- Pythagoras Theorem
A funny tale about a brave-heart soldier who laments the fact that the only thing holding him back in the ranks is an inability to understand mathematics… and wins the day for his side by decidedly non-mathematical means.
Number Stories - Learning Arithmetic Through the Adventures of Ralph and His Schoolmates

Alhambra Deming

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published 1916.
- Connected Math Stories
A sequence of stories, connected over 200 pages, which very gently and seamlessly introduces young children concepts of arithmetic, geometry, accounting and the like.
A Victim of Higher Space

Algernon Blackwood

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published 1917.
- Other Dimensions
A man who seems to slip into and out of the fourth dimension in response to certain stimuli…
Number Stories of Long Ago + Number Puzzles Before the Log Fire

David Eugene Smith

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published 1919.
- Numbers
- History of Mathematics
A history of numbers through various tales aimed at students in grades 5 to 8.
Mathematician Proof

Ralph Ellison de Castro

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1920.
- Combinatorics
The greatest brain in history devises a safe which is cracked by an ordinary safe-cracker.
The Mystery of Khufu's Tomb

Talbot Mundy

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1922.
- Mathematical Puzzles
A fast-paced novel involving mathematics, the Pyramid of Khufu, and of course, a fabulous treasure. Written in the true spirit of the early twentieth century mystery and adventure novels.
The Three-Eyed Man

Ray Cummings

Added Jun 10, 2024.
Originally published Jul, 1923.
- Other Dimensions
- Stereo-vision
A silly take on extending the stereoscopic vision created by two eyes to view the fourth dimension using 3 eyes…
An Adventure in the Fourth Dimension

Farnsworth Wright

Added Jun 5, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1923.
- Other Dimensions
An “it was all a dream” tale about higher dimensions.
The Pikestaffe Case

Algernon Blackwood

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published 1924.
- Other Dimensions
A strange tale of a professor of mathematics finding a way into another dimension through an antique mirror…
Into the Fourth

Adam Shirk

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1925.
- Other Dimensions
A mathematician delving into the mysteries of higher dimensional mathematics inexplicably obtains a portal into the fourth dimension in his study, which a thief accesses to no good end.
The Triangular House (La Casa Triangular)

Ramon Gomez de la Serna

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1925.
A very well-written story about a man who builds a triangular house, with a mathematical formula which leads to the revelation of an illicit affair and the participants in the affair…
Coconuts

Ben Ames

Added Jun 5, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1926.
- Mathematical Puzzles
A classic puzzle about “negative coconuts”… woven into a puzzle tale…
The Vanishing Man

Richard Hughes

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published 1926.
- Other Dimensions
A silly recounting of a misadventure of a mathematics professor in the fourth dimension.
Geometry in the South Pacific

Sylvia Warner Townsend

Added Jun 5, 2024.
Originally published 1927.
- Mathematical Beauty
An excerpt from a novel which speaks to the beauty of simple mathematics and attempt to convey that sense to a youngster.
Space Bender

Edward Rementer

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1928.
- Other Dimensions
- Non-Euclidean Geometry
A message-in-a-bottle, showcasing the trans-dimensional adventure of a professor of mathematics.
The Book of Worlds

Miles Breuer

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published Jul, 1929.
- Other Dimensions
A mathematical physicist builds a 4-dimensional stereoscope and finds out the ultimate fate of our world…
Futility

S. P. Meek

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Jul, 1929.
- Harmonic Analysis
- Future Prediction
A sleek, if severely flawed, story about predictions using a Fourier-like harmonic analysis of the current state of local reality or of individuals… certainly better than most pulp stories…
Gold Dust & Star Dust

Cyrill Wates

Added Jun 5, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1929.
- Other Dimensions
A higher-dimensional yarn executed with greater amount of explanation than normally found in pulp stories.
Say Wen

Ellis Parker Butler

Added Jun 5, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1930.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A ticklish story about an eight-year old genius made the top shot at the mathematics department of a college…
Mad Destroyer

Fletcher Pratt

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Spring, 1930.
- Celestial Mechanics
Cosmic collisions predicted to destroy all of earth in three years… by a mathematical physicist who has solved the general “N-body problem” to make accurate predictions…
Hidden in Glass

Paul Ernst

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1931.
- Other Dimensions
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A murder mystery set up using clever optics and some hand-waving about the fourth dimension.
The Einstein Seesaw

Miles Breuer

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1932.
- General Relativity
- Other Dimensions
A very visual, pulpy story about accessing the higher dimension for a hackneyed adventure…
The Fatal Equation

Arthur Stangland

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1933.
- Other Dimensions
An intricately crafted story about a mathematician’s murder-without-malice, to stop mathematics from destroying our reality – or so another professor of mathematics thought…
Plane People

Wallace West

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 1933.
- Other Dimensions
A war between some people from earth carried off into space on a flat meteor, and flatland…
Scandal in the Fourth Dimension

Amelia Long

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1934.
- Other Dimensions
A brilliant professor finds himself in a predicament in the fourth dimension and ends up tangling with his star student, who wins over his daughter after a few hilarious events.
Blinding Shadows

Donald Wandrei

Added Jun 5, 2024.
Originally published May, 1934.
- Other Dimensions
Another sad example of a higher-dimensional story.
The Man with Four Dimensional Eyes

Leslie Stone

Added Sep 7, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1935.
- Other Dimensions
A story about a physicist who discovers a new world in the fourth dimension...
Mathematical Doom

Paul Ernst

Added Aug 5, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1936.
- Geometry
A detective, one Mr. Pearson, catches the crooks using a little geometry.
Refund - a farce in one act

Fritz Karinthy

Added Sep 7, 2024.
Originally published 1936.
- Math Education
A story about a disgruntled student who comes back to his school to demand a refund, only to be outwitted by his mathematics teacher.
A Modern Comedy of Science

Isaac Nathanson

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1936.
- Other Dimensions
Higher Dimension used to exact justices, with some rueful and comedic consequences…
Pre-Vision

John Pierce

Added May 31, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 1936.
- Maxwell Equations
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A clever idea poorly executed, utilizing a mathematical solution to Maxwell’s equations as a basis for building a time-viewer to peer into the near-future…
The Eternal Wanderer

Nathan Schachner

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 1936.
- Other Dimensions
A deliciously over-the-top story which throws in many garbled ideas of physics to sculpt an interplanetary tale of a few heroes and a Martian mega villain…
The Man Who Walked Through Mirrors

Robert Bloch

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1939.
- Other Dimensions
- Chirality
A tongue-in-cheek story making repeated fun of the common, misleading tagline which appeared in many sci fi magazines of the day - Every Story Scientifically Accurate.
The First Shall Be Last

Arthur Burks

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1939.
- Celestial Mechanics
A deft use of geodesics and energy equations to show that sometimes, the fastest path is not the shortest one.
The Second Moon

Russell R Winterbotham

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1939.
- Mathematical Equations
A war between earth and mirror-earth in another dimension, where a switch in sign in a mathematical equation saves earth.
The Mathematical Kid

Ross Rocklynne

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1940.
- Ingenious Solution
- Newton's Laws
A clever tall-tale about a ship crashing on an odd-duck of a planet, with limited fuel to leave it, and the ingenious solution which saves the day.
The Universe Broke Down

Robert Arthur

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1941.
- Other Dimensions
- Strange Topology
A funny tall-tale about shooting bullets and golf balls through holes in space, shots heard around the universe…
Peter Fereny's Death Cell

William McGivern

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1941.
- Other Dimensions
A wrongly-imprisoned man on death-row receives a voice from a higher dimension… and presented with a mortal dilemma…
Funes, the Memorious

Jorge Luis Borges

Added Sep 7, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1942.
- Number Theory
A narrative about a man with a prodigious memory who comes up with his own system of numbering...
Fourth Dimensional Mixup

Leslie Croutch

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 1942.
- Other Dimensions
- Time Travel
A fourth dimensional adventure using loops of time…
Settler’s Wall (The Long Wall)

Robert Lowndes (Wilfred Owen Morley)

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published March, 1942.
A strange border wall in Maine which appears to wrap around itself in an inexplicable manner…
Fifty Million Monkeys

Raymond Jones

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1943.
- Probability
- Laws of Statistics
A far-future story about mankind trying to avert a cosmic calamity by harnessing the laws of probability…
Through the Blackboard

Joel Townsley Rogers

Added Jun 6, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1943.
- Other Dimensions
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A kind-of magic realism merging with a higher-dimension side of pulp stories to create an amusing tale.
The Devouring Tide

John Russell Fearn (as Polton Cross)

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Summer, 1944.
- Mathematical Weapons
- Universe Spanning
One man’s cosmic fight using mathematical weapons against a universe-destroying wave and alien civilizations...
The Ultimate Analysis

John Russell Fearn

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Fall, 1944.
Mathematics finds its voice and lives!
Plane and Fancy

Schuyler Miller

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Jul, 1944.
- Non-Euclidean Geometry
- Magic Realism
The powerful brain of a young boy which can conjure up an imagined reality…. with startling consequences…
A Most Ingenious Paradox

George Tashman

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1944.
A stranded Nazi soldier encounters a strange cave… and a most mysterious man of logic…
Agha and Math

Vladmir Karapetoff

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published 1946.
- Logarithms
- Mathematical Invention
A very funny, very creative tale of how logarithms might have been invented in ancient times, without it having had to wait for John Napier.
The Shape of Things

Ray Bradbury

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1948.
- Other Dimensions
A moving story - in the characteristic Bradbury-style - of the love of parents transcending dimensional oddities…
Murder by Mathematics

Hector Hawton

Added Aug 28, 2024.
Originally published 1948.
- Fermat's Last Theorem
- Number Theory
A murder mystery involving mathematicians, and a discovery of the Fermat's lost theorem.
Whom the gods love - The story of Evariste Galois

Leopold Infeld

Added Sep 10, 2024.
Originally published 1948.
- Group Theory
A fictionalized autobiography of the famous mathematician Evariste Galois, who is known for his seminal work on group theory.
The Mobius Trail

George Smith

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1948.
A very convoluted story about mirror-image flips through higher dimensions accessed through portable and user-friendly wormholes…
Sanatoris Short-Cut

Jack Vance

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1948.
- Mathematics of Gambling
A story of the mathematics of gambling and its deployment against a criminal’s “house-advantage”. As a tagline of the story says, “Mathematics is the weapon of Magnus Ridolph when he combats a pirate of space!”
The Finan-seer

E. L. Locke

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1949.
A classic story about brilliant professors using their esoteric knowledge to get the better of "The Wolves of Wall Street"
Devious Weapon

M. C. Pease

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1949.
- Game Theory
How a logician turns the tables on a planetary dictator by subtly using the “he knows that I know that he knows that” logic…
The Can Opener

Phillip Rog

Added Jun 10, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1949.
- Other Dimensions
- Chirality
Surely the fourth dimension has more uses that sticking in a straw to steal juice from closed cans, no?
The Wall of Darkness

Arthur C Clarke

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published July, 1949.
A mysterious wall surrounds an entire planet in a strange universe. Two inhabitants decide to undertake a journey along the wall and see where it leads, trying to find what lies on the other side of it, all set for a remarkable, mind-twisting denouement.
Window to the Past

Chester Geier

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1950.
- Other Dimensions
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A trans-dimensional love story with a poignant back-story and an appropriate ending.
It's Raining Frogs

Milton Lesser

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1950.
- Other Dimensions
Are four-dimensional beings responsible for all the strange occurrences like “frog rain” reported by Charles Fort and other chroniclers of the mysterious? Would the four-dimensional beings have the same emotions and desires as humans? A limited-range story speaking to these in pulp-format…
Null-P

William Tenn

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1951.
An ultra-long range impact on history when the perfectly average man is found… Butterfly Effect in a sociological context…
Jack of Eagles

James Blish

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published 1952.
A novel involving a quasi-mathematical explanation of ESP and psycho-kinesis…
Mount Analogue

Renee Daumal

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published 1952.
A novel about an expedition undertaken by a group of mountaineers to Mount Analogue, a mountain invisible to the outside world, but whose existence can be deduced using science.
Geometry Is What Done It

Anonymous

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published 1952.
- Geometry
- Geometrical Estimation
How visual geometrical estimation fails in front of a clever charlatan…
The Moebius Room

Robert Donald Locke

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 1952.
A prisoner without his memory rediscovers his equations of higher dimensions while locked inside a strange room in space…
The Snowball Effect

Katherine Maclean

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1952.
A comedic look at how experiments, particularly those in which the researcher has little control over the variables, can get out of hand like an uncontrolled chain-reaction with hilarious effects.
The Square Cube Law

Fletcher Pratt

Added Jun 8, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1952.
- Scaling
- Biology
A clever story which builds on the idea that scaling some part of the universe while leaving the rest intact leads to strange-sounding, non-intuitive results…
Clockwork

Leslie Bigelow

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1953.
- Magic Realism
- Imaginary Numbers
A very satisfying tale which blends some hand-waving magic realism and mathematics to create a vision of the fantastic.
On the Average

Frank Bryning

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Autumn, 1953.
- Statistics
When a proud ship is in dire peril in the gulfs between the planets it takes a navigator of heroic mold to bring her safely to port without a single wasted motion. Men either stand or fall by their inner resources, chronicled with a documentary-type realism that adds a new side to the bright, prophetic horizons of tomorrow.
The Root and the Ring

Wyman Guin

Added Jun 10, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1954.
A talisman of Mathematics lands in the real world, with some mystifying effects, articulated in a cleverly-written story…
The Mathematician's Nightmare - The Vision of Professor Squarepunt

Bertrand Russell

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published 1954.
A dream sequence where Numbers come alive and argue about their individual importance, with the number 137 taking on a special oratory role…
The Higher Mathematics

Martin Woodhouse

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1954.
- Topology
- Spatial Curvature
A comedic class-demonstration of an experiment going awry, causing the entire classroom disappearing into a cosmic hole, lock, stock and barrel…
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Jean Lee Latham

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published 1955.
A very warm, inspiring fictionalization of the life of famed American nautician (if you will, for “a mathematical ocean navigator”), Nathaniel Bowditch.
Diabologic

Eric Frank Russell

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 1955.
An earthman captured by aliens outwits them by tangling them up in self-referential paradoxes of logic while throwing in Zeno’s paradox for good measure…
Someday

Issac Asimov

Added Jul 28, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1956.
- Numbers
- Future Prediction
The story of two children in a future filled with computing devices, who are amazed to discover that people in the olden days used “squiggles” to represent numbers and words.
The Use of Geometry in the Modern Novel

Norman J Clarke

Added Aug 5, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1956.
- Parable
A funny “triangular” love story between the three vertices X, Y, Z of a triangle.
Project Flatty

Irving Cox, Jr

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published May, 1956.
- Alien Logic
- Mathematical Logic
How might an alien threat evaluate humanity’s power of logic to ascertain its chances of success? Would we dismiss the manifestations of such evaluations as irrational hallucinations? Would that, in itself, become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Dalrymple's Equation

Paul Fairman

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1956.
- Mathematical Equations
- Mathematical Deduction
An alien helps local police detectives solve a baffling murder case…
Compounded interest

Mack Reynolds

Added May 20, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1956.
- Financial Mathematics
The power of interest earning interest over time…
The Ifth of Oofth

Walter Tevis

Added Sep 10, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1957.
- Other Dimensions
- Topology
A funny short story about a higher-dimensional object accidentally opening up in our 3D world.
The Percentage Player

Leslie Charteris

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1958.
A mathematical huckster swindles his way to continued solvency through probability theory…. till he gets a taste of his own medicine…
The Gift of Numbers

Alan Nourse

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1958.
- Numerical Abilities
If mathematical abilities could be transferred from another person to yourself, would you regret the side-effects?
Flower Arrangement

Rosel George Brown

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1959.
- Mobius Strip
- Hogarth Curve
Mrs. Warner makes an aesthetic flower arrangement, which inadvertently turns into a four-dimensional object because of a balloon and its magnetic paint…
Now Inhale

Eric Frank Russell

Added May 18, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1959.
An earthman captured by aliens outwits them by tangling them up in a game of Tower of Hanoi…
The Seventh Stair

Brandon Frank

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1961.
- Other Dimensions
- Magic Realism
A cautionary tale for all those who have not focused on polishing their mathematics skills. Someday, you may not be able to save a friend for lack of a suitable algebraic equation…
Three Plates on the Table (Tres platos en la mesa)

Jose Maria Gironella

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published 1961.
- Magic Realism
An emotional, sensitively written example of a short story of magic realism, in the classic tradition of Borges and Cortazar. Most of the story revolves around the main character’s frame of existence, which is also the rationale for the story, building toward its slow finale.
The Heart on the Other Side

George Gamow

Added Dec 9, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1962.
- To Be Tagged
This whimsical tale is about a mathematician Stan Situs who is seeking an approval from his girlfriend Vera’s father for their marriage. Stan proposes a revolutionary shoe manufacturing process using a Mobius twist, which he believes will allow for the production of only right-footed shoes that can be converted into left-footed ones. After a perilous journey to the Amazon, Stan returns with only right shoes, but discovers he has become a mirror image of himself, resulting in humorous and unexpected challenges.The Mobius strip symbolizes the complexity and interconnectedness of life, suggesting that appearances can be deceiving, much like Stan’s transformation into a mirror image. It also emphasizes the potential for scientific inquiry to revolutionize everyday life, even in unexpected ways.
Mobius Trip

Edward Mackin

Added Dec 6, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1963.
- Mobius Strip
A short story about Hek Belov who after a brief stint at jail, returns to the chaotic world of technology and culinary delights, only to find himself embroiled in another bizarre situation. He encounters a project gone wrong involving molecular imaging and a scientist named Bragden, who has been trapped in a strange dimension. With a blend of humor and cynicism, Belov navigates the absurdities of contemporary society, ultimately confronting the consequences of reckless scientific ambition. It challenges the notion of what makes a person unique and the implications of technology on self-perception.
The Non-Statistical Man

Raymond Jones

Added Dec 5, 2024.
Originally published May, 1964.
- Statistics
The story explores the tension between statistical predictions made for groups and the unpredictable nature of individual intuition. Charles Bascomb, a statistical analyst, grapples with the implications of his work when he encounters anomalies in insurance claims tied to the influence of Dr. J. Coleman Magruder, who promotes intuitive decision-making. As Bascomb begins to experience his own intuition, he faces a conflict between the structured world of statistics and the chaotic potential of individual insight.The story critiques institutions (like insurance) that prioritize profits over people, revealing ethical dilemmas in their operations. This is a commentary on how modern systems can become detached from the individuals they serve, leading to exploitation.
The Crazy Mathematician

Ralph Underwood

Added Aug 5, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1964.
- Other Dimensions
- Universe Spanning
A charming, if extremely pulpish, story about one of those mathematical physicists who miraculously find a way of implementing their wildest of ideas… and how bipeds and the English language are obviously present in the deepest recesses of reality…
Why Parents Cant Add

Art Buchwald

Added Dec 4, 2024.
Originally published 1965.
- Math Education
An essay by Art Buchwald which humorously critiques the complexities of New Math that leave both children and parents confused. He illustrates this through a personal anecdote where he struggles to help his daughter with a simple subtraction problem, leading to a comical conversation with her teacher about the convoluted methods of modern mathematics. The essay highlights the disconnect between traditional math methods and contemporary educational practices.
Dimensional Analysis and Mr Fortescue

Eric Claire

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1965.
- Mobius Strip
- Other Dimensions
Mr. Fortescue had real problems. He was losing everything that walked into his brand new House of Fun, Magic and Mystery. Which naturally called for some very fancy dimensional analysis...
The First Sally (A), or Trurl's Electronic Bard ( Wyprawa pierwsza A, czyli Elektrybalt Trurla)

Stanislaw Lem

Added Dec 4, 2024.
Originally published 1965.
- Math and Poetry
A short story about how cosmic constructors Trurl and Klapaucius engage in inventive rivalry. Trurl, seeking redemption after creating a faulty calculating machine, builds a poetry-writing machine. Despite initial failures, the machine becomes a sensation, outshining human poets, leading to chaos and conflict. Ultimately, Trurl’s creation spirals out of control, resulting in unintended consequences and a dramatic shift in the universe’s poetic landscape, forcing him to hide from the fallout of his invention.
The Court of King Arithmetic

Gwen Chaloner

Added Dec 3, 2024.
Originally published June, 1966.
- Arithmetic in Daily Life
A one-act play from a collection of royalty-free plays for junior actors. The story revolves around Timothy Schoolboy, who renounces arithmetic, leading to chaos in King Arithmetic’s court. With the help of Lord Calculation and the King Arithmetic's four daughters, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Timothy realises the importance of arithmetic in daily life. Ultimately, Timothy learns to appreciate numbers and returns to school.
The Celestial Toymaker

Dr Who

Added Jul 31, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1966.
- Tower of Hanoi
- Dr Who
An alien time-traveler faces off with the celestial toymaker in the Trilogic game, a ten-piece puzzle similar to the Towers of Hanoi problem.
October the First is too late

Fred Hoyle

Added Dec 3, 2024.
Originally published 1966.
The story intertwines music, science, and existential questions. The protagonist, a composer, grapples with a profound melody that emerges during a retreat to Cornwall. As he navigates the complexities of creativity and modern music, he is drawn into a mysterious scientific phenomenon involving signals from the Sun. The narrative explores the intersection of human emotion, consciousness, and the potential existence of extraterrestrial intelligence and raises profound questions about consciousness and the nature of reality, challenging characters (and readers) to consider wider possibilities.
Paint 'em Green

Burt Filer

Added Jun 20, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1967.
- Klein Bottle
- Mathematical Aliens
One way of solving the humanity’s problems related to war in the distant future… As the saying in Hindi goes, take away the bamboo in the flute, and the noisy flute will automatically be taken care of…
The Long Slow Orbits

H H Hollis

Added Aug 2, 2024.
Originally published May, 1967.
- Klein Bottle
A poignant story of a human society spread out in the solar system, where the protagonist is imprisoned in a Klein Bottle.
Dialogues on Mathematics (Dialogusok a Matematikarol)

Alfred Renyi

Added Dec 3, 2024.
Originally published 1967.
- Socratic Dialogue
This short story features dialogues among historical figures like Socrates, Archimedes, and Galileo discussing the nature and applications of mathematics. Socratic dialogue explores the essence of mathematical existence, while Archimedes discusses the practical applications of mathematics in warfare. Galileo reflects on the conflict between science and the Church, emphasizing the importance of empirical observation and experimentation in scientific inquiry.The characters express the significance of pursuing knowledge despite challenges and opposition.
The Spoilers

Desmond Bagley

Added Jul 31, 2024.
Originally published 1968.
- Probability
A story of a wealthy media mogul who goes up against a major drug ring, sprinkled with references to probability and related mathematical concepts.
Merlin Planet

E G von Wald

Added Aug 2, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1968.
- Magic realism
- Logic
A magical tale about a planet where mathematics and mathematical thought can neutralize the harmful spells of wizards…
Sword Game

H H Hollis (Ben Neal Ramsey)

Added Sep 10, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1968.
A topologist shows how to trap living things, including unwanted lovers, inside a tessaract.
Geometric Regional Novel

Gert Jonke

Added Jun 19, 2024.
Originally published 1969.
- Geometric Figures
- Strange Geography
An innovative satire on the process by which bureaucracy and official regimentation insidiously pervade society. In a dead-pan, pseudo-scientific tone, the nameless narrator takes us on a tour of a bizarre village whose inhabitants lead such habitual, regulated lives that they resemble elements in a mathematical equation.
A Problem of Numbers (As Chemist to Chemist)

Isaac Asimov

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published May, 1970.
- Mathematical Puzzles
A grad student is asked to solve a math puzzle by his professor in order to win his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Been a Long Long Time

R A Lafferty

Added Dec 2, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1970.
- Universe Spanning
A short story about Michael, who seeks to use monkeys and typewriters to replicate Shakespeare’s works as a punishment for Boshel, who hesitated at the dawn of time. Through cosmic cycles, Boshel learns about time and randomness as the monkeys work to produce Shakespearean texts, facing various challenges and humorous setbacks until they finally approach success, all while the universe undergoes cycles of creation and collapse.
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Few Lady Mathematicians

Linn Charles

Added Dec 1, 2024.
Originally published 1971.
- Ancient Mathematicians
The text discusses the historical scarcity of female mathematicians, suggesting that societal traditions and gender biases may stem from ancient times. And this is highlighted through the humorous diary which is a fictional excerpt by Zoe, a young girl in ancient Greece who is taught by Plato. It highlights the challenges she faced due to Plato’s rigid views on gender roles in education. The narrative reflects on how these antiquated beliefs regarding traditional gender roles have formed negative perceptions about women being less capable in mathematics thus historically limiting their participation. It suggests that changing these perceptions requires addressing long-standing educational and cultural biases.
Thales Measures a Pyramid

Linn Charles

Added Dec 1, 2024.
Originally published 1971.
- Ancient Mathematicians
A short story about how an ancient Greek mathematician named Thales, attempts to calculate the height of a pyramid while in Egypt. Despite his complex calculations involving angles and trigonometry, is interrupted by a curious boy who suggests a simpler method using shadow proportions. Ultimately, Thales realizes the boy’s approach is effective, leading to a notable achievement in the history of mathematics.
Mirror Image

Isaac Asimov

Added Nov 26, 2024.
Originally published May, 1972.
- Artificial Sentience
A short story where one of the character named Lije Baley encounters two robots telling contradictory stories about a dispute between mathematicians Dr. Humboldt and Dr. Sabbat. The Three Laws of Robotics prevent robots from lying, complicating the investigation. Both mathematicians claim the same revolutionary idea, leading to a stalemate. Baley interviews the robots, discovering one robot is lying to protect its master's reputation. Ultimately, Baley deduces that Dr. Humboldt is guilty of plagiarism based on the robots' responses and human behavioral analysis.
The Mathematical Princess, and other stories

Robert Nye

Added Nov 26, 2024.
Originally published 1972.
- Connected Math Stories
“The Mathematical Princess and Other Stories” by Robert Nye features whimsical tales, including the story of Clare, King Cole’s mathematical daughter, who struggles to find a suitor clever enough to marry her. King Cole devises a contest where suitors must endure her lectures on mathematics, leading to many beheadings of those who fall asleep. Ultimately, a shepherd named Walt wins her heart not through cleverness, but by being genuinely interested in her, showcasing that love transcends intellect.Other stories in the collection explore themes of magic and morality.Nye’s tales are aimed at young readers, blending humor and moral lessons, suggesting that choices have significant consequences, whether in love or life.
Chronicles of a Comer

K M O'Donnell

Added Sep 10, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1972.
- Statistics
- Divinity
A story about a statistician who believes in the second coming of Christ, and looks for proof in various correlations.
Gold at Starbow's End (Starburst) (Alpha Aleph)

Frederick Pohl

Added Aug 2, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 1972.
- Godel Sentences
A story about a group of astronauts who are stranded in space, and make fundamental discoveries in mathematics to save themselves.
Flatland

John Sladek

Added Nov 26, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1973.
- To Be Tagged
In a world where existential dilemmas intertwine with daily life, characters grapple with themes of capital punishment, societal roles, and the nature of reality. George and Dave find themselves in a grim prison setting, while Mary navigates the complexities of modern morality and relationships. Meanwhile, a narrative of absurdity unfolds with Major X, highlighting the disconnection between human experiences and societal expectations, culminating in George’s tragic fate and Dave’s isolation on a desert island.
The Three Numbers (All in the Way You Read It)

Isaac Asimov

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1974.
- Mathematical Puzzles
A story about decoding a short string of numbers, which is the combination to open a safe.
The Bees of Knowledge

Barrington Bailey

Added Jun 20, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 1975.
- Mathematical Aliens
Mathematically advanced bees on an alien planet, collecting “nectar of knowledge” for the “honey of experience”.
Solid Geometry

Ian McEwan

Added Sep 25, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1975.
- Topology
A short story about a man discovering mathematical diagrams in his grandfather's diary from the 1800s, which helps him fold sheets of paper in a manner which make them disappear, and also discover that people can be folded in a similar manner and can be made to disappear...
Another Cock Tale

Chris Miller

Added Jun 1, 2024.
Originally published May, 1975.
Accessing the higher dimension for contraception, with some terrible results in an avoidable story.
Euclid Alone

William Orr

Added Nov 26, 2024.
Originally published April, 1975.
The narrative recounts the life and tragic death of mathematician Martin Gardner, touching on his groundbreaking work in topology and the implications of a proof by Professor Paul David that challenges the foundations of Euclidean geometry. David’s proof introduces a philosophical crisis in mathematics, challenging long-held beliefs and inviting skepticism about foundational truths. As Dr. Donald Lucus grapples with the fallout of this revelation, he faces the tension between scientific truth and the societal consequences of such knowledge, ultimately leading to a complex interplay between mathematics, philosophy, and morality.
Family Man-A Case of Income Tax Fraud

Isaac Asimov

Added Sep 28, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 1976.
- Mathematicians Solving Crime
A tax auditor at the IRS, who is a devoted family man, narrates to a group of gentlemen about one of his solved cases, in which a mathematician with no family adopts a false identity as a computer serviceman and goes on to reprogram a main computer, ultimately receiving huge tax returns while paying no taxes.
Jury Not of Peers

Wyal P G

Added Nov 25, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1976.
- Artificial Sentience
The story set in a future world follows a man named Manuel Abdul Jones who is on trial for murdering a company officer, the judge being a machine. After considering every aspect of his life and the societal complexities surrounding him, and being questioned about his motives, the infallible machine coldly deliberates and ultimately judges that while he is guilty, he is also a product of a flawed system that compels individuals to act violently. In the end, the machine declares him free, leaving the question of true justice and moral responsibility unresolved.
The missing item

Isaac Asimov

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1977.
- Universe Spanning
In “The Missing Item,” the Black Widowers Society debates Emmanuel Rubin’s rejected story about a locksmith conspiracy, sparking a discussion on belief systems. Jonathan Thatcher voices concerns about his wife’s involvement with the Mars-focused Tri-Luciferian cult. Analyzing the cult leader’s claims, the group identifies the omission of Earth’s Moon, exposing flaws in the cult’s ideology.
Blue Tigers

Jorge Luis Borges

Added Sep 12, 2024.
Originally published 1977.
- Magic Realism
A Scotsman chasing blue tigers discovers magical stones that defy arithmetic.
Definitely Maybe

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published 1977.
- Mathematical Physics
- Universe Spanning
The story takes place in Leningrad, USSR, apparently in the 1970s.The protagonist, Dmitry Alekseyevich Malyanov is an astrophysicist who realizes that he is on the verge of a revolutionary discovery worthy of a Nobel Prize. But then bizarre events start to disrupt his work, which include mysterious visitors, unexplained gifts, and a neighbor's death that implicates him in a murder. Malyanov and his peers realize a mysterious force is sabotaging their scientific pursuits across various fields. Mathematician Vecherovsky theorizes this as the Universe's homeostatic resistance to prevent advanced civilizations from destabilizing its equilibrium. Under mounting pressure, most abandon their research, leaving Vecherovsky to confront the cosmic resistance alone.
My Random Friend

Larry Eisenberg

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published Aug, 1977.
- Probability
- Statistics
A story about a man who could never make a decision, but got into the business of making predictions for others.
All the Universe in a Mason Jar

Joe Haldeman

Added May 20, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1977.
- Pythagoras Theorem
A mathematician’s close encounter of the drunken kind with an alien, leading to membership in a galactic club...
Q.E.D.

Jack Eric Morpurgo

Added Sep 12, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1977.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A short story about a mathematician whose love for mathematics helps him survive the war.
Thales of Miletus

Grunseit Rolf

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published March, 1977.
- Ancient Mathematicians
A play set in 540 B.C., showcasing Thales' life in Miletus and Egypt, written by Rolf Grunseit around 1977. It introduces Thales as a wise man of ancient Greece, exploring themes of mathematics, trade and economics, and the challenges of his time, particularly against the backdrop of war and piracy. The play highlights Thales’ innovative thinking and practical mathematics, including measuring the height of pyramids using shadows. The play creatively demonstrates mathematical concepts through drama, making it a unique educational tool. It showcases how practical applications of mathematics were essential for survival and success in ancient times.
The Riddle of the Universe & Its Solution

Christopher Cherniak

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published 1978.
An unknown, abstract piece of information—which could be stored on tape, transmitted over a telephone line, displayed on a screen, and so forth - known as “the Riddle,” induces catatonic state in readers, an illness dubbed “the Riddle coma.” All evidence seems consistent with the once-bizarre hypothesis that any human who encountered this information lapsed into an apparently irreversible freezing of the mind...
The Klein Bottle

Se-Hui Cho

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published 1978.
- Klein Bottle
A Korean tale that connects the philosophical pursuits of rural factory workers to the Klein bottle.
The Mobius Strip

Se-Hui Cho

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published 1978.
- Mobius Strip
A short Korean story about the parallels between real life situations and the Mobius srip.
Double Mobius Sphere

P S Nim

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 1978.
- Mobius Strip
- Universe Spanning
A story that revolves around a seven year old unusually genius boy named Elijah Brandon, and a dangerous multiyear mission to search for outer rim of the known Universe with the help of a spaceship. The title "double möbius sphere", also called the twisted cylinder, which has a one-sided surface and looks like an infinite loop with no boundaries is basically used as a metaphor to summarise the story. The setting is several centuries from now, in a federation of most of the lesser sentient species, such as humans. It turns out that the telepathic boy may have unlocked the secret to the universe by decoding an uncrackable message received from aliens called Capacians. The protagonist and several others believe it to be a tragedy, and are convinced that "discovering everything" will ruin the human race and everything they have fought for.
Immune Dreams

Ian Watson

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published 1978.
- Biology
A short story about how the central character Adrian Rosen, fearful that he is developing cancer, gets obssessed about his health. For stopping the cancer to spread further, he starts his research at sleep lab along with his colleagues. He goes on to explore the relationship between his dreams and cancer, proposing that dreams may signal impending health issues, and concludes that the subconscious mind could have more profound insights into our physical state than previously understood. He uses mathematical concepts to explain the abrupt transitions in health. He contemplates a radical surgery to change his interaction with dreams and this fixation strains his relationships with his colleagues. The narrative reflects on the intersections of science, psychology, and the nature of existence.
The Engineer of Moonlight

Don Delillo

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published 1979.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
The narrative unfolds on a sun deck where three characters—Diana, James, and Maya—engage in contemplative dialogue interspersed with reflections on their lives and relationships. At the center of their discussions is Eric Lighter, a mathematician and Diana's ex-husband, who is grappling with the effects of mental health challenges. As the characters absorb the warmth of their surroundings, themes of memory, existential reflection, and the passage of time emerge,particularly through Diana's yearning to understand Eric's recent struggles and the transformative nature of their shared histories. The conversation primarily consists of witty exchanges on such subjects as education, religion, the need for sunscreen, society's way of handling people with mental disorders, and some "cringy" discussions about human race.Mathematics plays no role in regards to the plot besides the stereotypes that connect mathematics with both intelligence and insanity.
Nobody Loves a Moebius Strip

Alice Laurance (Laura Haywood; Alice Weber)

Added Sep 14, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1979.
- Mobius Strip
- Klein Bottle
A short story about an alien life in the shape of a Mobius strip.
Mcgarry - Dr Casey's Temporization

Jean Mcgarry

Added Sep 14, 2024.
Originally published 1979.
- Math Education
A plain story about a math professor's interactions with his students.
Rent Control

Tevis Walter

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1979.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A short story about two lovers, Terry and Edith, who experience profound intimacy and emotional release during therapy sessions, leading to improved relations and personal growth.However, they discover that time has seemingly stopped around them, as their clocks freeze and the outside world becomes motionless. As they navigate their relationship and the challenges of their rent-controlled apartment, they become aware of a deeper mystery involving time manipulation, suggesting a blend of love and science fiction.
Sixty Million Trillion Combinations

Isaac Asimov

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published May, 1980.
- Combinatorics
A story where a recurring character from "Black Widower" mysteries, Tom Trumbull, seeks to persuade an unconventional mathematician—who is simultaneously tackling Goldbach's conjecture—that his secret password lacks security and that combinations are crucial for creating a robust password.
The Winning Number (The Telephone Number)

Isaac Asimov

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1980.
- Mathematical Puzzles
A small mystery about guessing a telephone number from two simple clues.
White Light, or What is Cantor's Continuum Problem?

Rudy Rucker

Added Sep 14, 2024.
Originally published 1980.
A story of the out-of-body experiences of a mathematician working on the Continuum Hypothesis.
Return of the Native

Thomas Easton

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 1981.
- Universe Spanning
The text discusses themes from various works of science fiction and culture, focusing on the evolving portrayal of isolating figures like heroes and rebels in literature and film. It contrasts traditional characters who rebelled against societal norms with contemporary depictions of individuals such as Roy Neary from Steven Spielberg's SciFi movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Neary sacrifices his family and stability for a connection with benevolent extraterrestrials, echoing a longing for deeper meaning and connection in life. The narrative emphasizes the price of such journeys, suggesting that real progress often involves prolonged struggle and personal sacrifice, ultimately advocating for a shift towards more relatable, grounded heroes in modern storytelling.
Intersections

John Ford

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 1981.
- Time Travel
- Mathematicians - Emotions
The story about how a Captain named Roy Kramer,w ho is an air corps pilot in a corporation that offers flight simulations of historical battles, gets unexpectedly trapped in an alternate universe where he encounters a mysterious fog and an airfield filled with British pilots from World War II, and how he navigates these challenges while dealing with the implications of time travel and love. This narrative blends elements of science fiction, mathematics, adventure, and romance, exploring the consequences of one's actions across different timelines.
A New Golden Age

Rudy Rucker

Added Sep 26, 2024.
Originally published Summer, 1981.
- Fictional Mathematics
A story about how mathematicians create a device called the Moddle, allowing legislators to experience the thoughts of a great mathematician regarding his greatest theorems, giving users a momentary feeling of understanding and appreciation for the results, which would help in the funding of their science.
Dollars and Cents/Countdown to Disaster

Isaac Asimov

Added Sep 25, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1982.
- Mathematicans Solving Crime
A short story about how the police find and detonate a real bomb with the help of clues received through a series of fake bomb threat letters mailed to various New York reporters from different publications. The police manage to crack the mystery about the exact location of real bomb by tracing the source of letters.
Getting the Combination

Isaac Asimov

Added Sep 25, 2024.
Originally published June, 1982.
- Number Theory
A short story in which the central characters discuss an infinite set of numbers and their spellings, and how to arrange them in an alphabetical order, and from they infer this how to guess the next number in the alphabetical sequence.
Software

Rudy Rucker

Added Sep 25, 2024.
Originally published 1982.
- Artificial Sentience
A story about a retired computer scientist Cobb Anderson, who was once tried for treason for figuring out how to give robots artificial intelligence and free will, creating the race of boppers. By 2020, they have created a complex society on the Moon, where the boppers developed because they depend on super-cooled superconducting circuits.
The Black Mirror (Der schwarze Spiegel)

Eric Simon

Added Sep 14, 2024.
Originally published 1983.
- Mobius Strip
- Alien Science
A story about an alien spaceship that brings a one-sided ideal mirror as a gift to Earth.
Battle of the Frog and the Mouse

John Hays

Added Sep 20, 2024.
Originally published Jun, 1984.
- Logic
A fable about a frog and a mouse battle, to indicate a fight between mathematicians Hilbert and Brouwer.
Time's Rub

Gregory Benford

Added Jun 9, 2024.
Originally published Apr, 1985.
- Newcombe's Paradox
- Game Theory
A very satisfying tale of the far future from an alien planet, where an ancient game of choice offered by a Higher Power is played out.
The Blind Geometer

Kim Stanley Robinson

Added Sep 25, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 1986.
- Geometry
- Topology
A short novel that discusses how a blind geometer might visualize abstract spaces, and touches upon some results from projective geometry as well.
True Magic

Robert Metzger

Added Sep 21, 2024.
Originally published NovDec, 1987.
- Other Dimensions
A story about the author's conversation with an old anthropology professor Thelma Beyer and her research on how different types of neural hardwiring in different humans allows them to look at same things or scenarios in different ways.
The Girl Who Loved Mathematics

Smithers Elizabeth

Added Sep 22, 2024.
Originally published 1988.
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A sad tale of a college girl, Gilberte, who has a penchant for mathematics, a quality which she inherited from her father. Gilberte has thoughts of being with “someone quiet and dreamy, who will smile when you mention the pleasure of numbers. Someone from the same field to talk projective geometry with in the evenings". But she gets married to the first man she met at a dance, has five children, and ends up unning a fish and chip shop.
Probability Pipeline

Rudy Rucker and Marc Laidlaw

Added Sep 21, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1988.
- Fractals
A story about two brothers who look for some surfing opportunities using mathematics and chaos theory.
Unknown Things

Reginald Bretnor

Added Aug 24, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 1989.
- Mobius Strip
- Klein Bottle
A horror story about the obsession of a wealthy man with unusual objects, which he believes to be puzzles designed to test him.
Journey into a Dark Heart

Peter Hoeg

Added Aug 26, 2024.
Originally published 1990.
- Incompleteness
- Mathematicians - Emotions
A story about a young depressed mathematician, who faces trouble coming to terms with the uncertainty of mathematics.
The Cubist and the Madman

Robert Metzger

Added Sep 23, 2024.
Originally published March/April, 1991.
Dr. Lyle Thaddius has been a practicing psychiatrist for 30 years, dedicated to resolving the inner conflicts and demons of all who need help. He takes on a new patient, Juan Gris, who insists on the doctor visiting his house for the counseling sessions, at 3 times the normal fees. Gris, it turns out, is an extremely old man, past 100 likely, who lives in what is described as a “madman’s house”.
Hamlet & Pfister Forms

Jan Minac

Added Sep 23, 2024.
Originally published May, 1992.
- Number Theory
A giggle-worthy drama where the author, a mathematician himself, has shoe-horned the concept of 'Pfister Forms' into 4 scenes of Shakespeare’s 'Hamlet'...
Fermat's Legacy

Ian Randal Strock

Added Sep 23, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1992.
- Number Theory
- Fermat's Last Theorem
In this story, a mathematician is bemoaning the fact that he is not recognized or appreciated for any of his contributions to calculus or probability. Then, inspired by something his wife said, he instead decides that he might be remembered for something he didn't do. Browsing for ideas, he stumbles upon the Pythagorean Theorem...
Pure Math

John Timson

Added Sep 23, 2024.
Originally published JanFeb, 1992.
- Time Travel
- Fictional Mathematics
A story about Jacob Appel, a Nobel Laureate, who is also acknowledged by nearly everyone as the "world’s greatest living mathematician”. He creates a mathematical proof that it was possible, in pure maths at least, to send non-living objects back in time. And to prove this, he sends back a paper from 2005 to 1926.
A Fairy Tale - A Pseudo-History of Mathematics

Peter Flusser

Added Aug 26, 2024.
Originally published July, 1993.
- History of Mathematics
A humorous Genesis-style history of math, which begins with the Mother of Mathematicians (MOM) creating numbers, and ending with Godel and Hilbert showing that "the foundations of math are built on sand".
7 Steps to Midnight

Richard Matheson

Added Sep 24, 2024.
Originally published 1993.
- Mathematical Physics
A horror/suspense novel, where a government mathematician sees reality collapse around him, as his life is filled with bizarre incidents...
Conservation of Probability

Brook West

Added May 17, 2024.
Originally published May, 1994.
- Probability
A woman becomes a central figure in the disruption of the laws of probability, with some cosmic consequences.
Socrates and the Nonslave-boy

William Priestley

Added Aug 26, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1996.
- Numbers
- Socratic Dialogue
A Socratic dialogue where a professor tries to help his student compute the sum of the first N whole numbers.
La formule-A story of fourth dimension

Jean Ray

Added Sep 24, 2024.
Originally published 1996.
- Other Dimensions
- Mathematical Physics
A very short story from the ultramundane realm about a mathematical physicist who lives up high in an attic of a house. One fine morning, on his blackboard, he finds Einstein’s formula E=mc2 written in a corner, and next to it, a strange, haunting extension of the formula. The formula makes no sense and yet, he is filled with a sense of admiration and fascination about the existence of a higher dimension to it.
News Extra - Ancient Document Discovered

Shawn Dolezilek

Added Aug 26, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1999.
- Ancient Mathematicians
- Mathematical Equations
An interesting short tale in which the Roman mathematician Diophantus mysteriously travels through time, and finds himself in a modern-day lecture on "Diophantine equations".
A Day in the Life of Diophantus (c. 251 A.D.)

Rebecca Pekrul

Added Aug 26, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 1999.
- Ancient Mathematicians
A fictional newsreport from the Roman Empire, which reports a conversation in the household of the mathematician Diophantus, where the mathematician's wife gives him a neat idea.
The Locked House of Pythagoras [P. no Misshitsu]

Soji Shimada

Added Sep 24, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 1999.
- Mathematicians Solving Crime
- Pythagoras Theorem
A murder mystery, featuring a know-it-all kid detective who has a magical god’s eye-view of everything, and helps solve the murder case with help of Pythagoras theorem.
Tesselland - A Mathematical Oddment

Martin Glover

Added Aug 28, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 2004.
A Flatland-inspired story of a mathematical professor obsessed with metaphysics and geometric tessellations.
Waiting for Citizen Godel

Howard Hendrix

Added Aug 25, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 2005.
- Logic
A short story involving Einstein, Morgenstern, and Godel, where Godel finds a logical flaw in the OS constitution when applying for citizenship.
Palimpsest

Howard Hendrix

Added Aug 25, 2024.
Originally published Sep, 2007.
- Divinity
A short story where people receive religious spam messages. Contains ideas of the universe being a universal quantum Turing machine.
City of Infinite Bridges

Alex Rose

Added Sep 5, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 2007.
- Graph Theory
A short tale about Euler's famous graph of the Konigsberg bridges.
Goliijo

Alex Rose

Added Sep 5, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 2007.
- Fractals
- Self-similarity
A short description of a self-similar fractal town.
Papos

Alex Rose

Added Sep 5, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 2007.
A short narrative about the discovery of irrational numbers and various geometric concepts by the ancient Greeks.
Final Exam

Robert Dawson

Added Aug 28, 2024.
Originally published July, 2011.
- Calculus
A short story about the musings of a calculus professor as he sets a final exam for his class.
On the Occasion of Your Graduation

Robert Dawson

Added Aug 28, 2024.
Originally published July, 2012.
- Incompleteness
A letter from an PhD supervisor to his recently graduated doctoral student, where he discusses his unpublished work on Godel's Incompleteness Theorem.
Prove It!

Kenny Moran

Added Aug 28, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 2012.
- Number Theory
A conversation between a mathematician and his precocious daughter about number theory and the importance of proofs.
Grigori’s Solution

Isobelle Carmody

Added Sep 2, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 2013.
A young girl discovers an arcane mathematical spell scribbled by her grandfather, which threatens the very existence of the universe.
Harmonics in the Library

Charles Chopin

Added Aug 29, 2024.
Originally published July, 2013.
- Calculus
- Harmonic Series
Two students discover the magic of harmonic series by stacking books at the edge of a table.
A to Z Theory

EnJoe Toh

Added Sep 24, 2024.
Originally published Mar, 2013.
- Sherlock Holmes
- Binomial Theorem
A short story where twenty-six famous mathematicians, whose last names just happen to each begin with a different one of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, have a realization at the same moment about a brilliant but previously unnoticed result involving the binomial theorem.
Cantor's Dragon

Craig Delancey

Added Sep 2, 2024.
Originally published Nov, 2014.
A clever fictional story about how the mathematician Cantor outwits a dragon that imposes conditions on his ascension to heaven...
Moral Taste

Robert Haas

Added Aug 29, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 2014.
- Mathematicians Solving Crime
A short story involving a female mathematician with a flair for growing vegetables, baking pies, and solving crimes...
Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids

Seanan McGuire

Added Sep 24, 2024.
Originally published Feb, 2017.
- Mathematical Patterns
An interesting story about a girl named Brenda, who has autism and obsessive compulsion disorder, and doesn't have any friends. But it doesn't matter much because she spends all her time looking for mathematical rhymes and patterns in everything around her, specially based on how many corvids (a bird in the crow family) she counts in a day.
Emmy's Time

Anthony Bonato

Added Sep 2, 2024.
Originally published May, 2018.
- Time Travel
- General Relativity
A story about a famous 20th century mathematician who is pulled into the future to help them save the Earth.
The Pythagoras Problem

Dr. Who

Added Sep 2, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 2019.
A Dr. Who story involving Pythagoras and an inter-dimensional gateway.
Euler's Equation

Neil James Hudson

Added Sep 2, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 2019.
- Euler's Equation
- Number Theory
A story about the chaos that unfolds when the Euler's Equation stops being true...
Solitude of an Orthogonal Language

Binta Ohtaki

Added Sep 24, 2024.
Originally published Dec, 2020.
- Language
- Matrices
A short story about a mathematician’s study to see the multi-linguistic pluralism of an object through a single language, which is commonly known as translation. According to him, translation refers to the shadow of one language on another, and by paying attention to the angle formed by the distance between the languages that define the space, he has proven that an observed object can be calculated as the same square matrix as the number of languages from one set of observed data.
The Monty Hall Problem

Rebekah Bergman

Added Sep 4, 2024.
Originally published Oct, 2021.
- Monty Hall Problem
- Probability
A narrator compares the choices in relationships and other aspects of life with games like the Monty Hall Problem.
Proof by Induction

José Pablo Iriarte

Added Sep 4, 2024.
Originally published May/Jun, 2021.
- Fictional Mathematics
A mathematician who is up for tenure collaborates with his professor-emeritus father in unusual ways, to prove a hypothesis...
Perturbation - For Nature Computes On A Straight Line (In Seven Balancing Acts)

Vijay Fafat

Added Aug 19, 2024.
Originally published July, 2022.
A scientist discovers the "Theory of Everything", an equation that explains all of Creation. She uses numerical simulation to compute an approximate version of the equation, only to realize that this "perturbation" created the Universe as we know it.
The Babelogic of Mathematics

Vijay Fafat

Added Aug 19, 2024.
Originally published Jan, 2023.
Genesis from the Bible and the Nasadiya Sukta from the Rig Veda are cleverly rewritten to describe a mathematical God and the origin of mathematics.
Discordium Mathematica

Vijay Fafat

Added Aug 8, 2024.
Originally published July, 2024.
An exquisitely crafted epic poem that marries mathematical concepts with literary and mythological references to explain the emergence of incompleteness in modern mathematics.