Re: AKICIF: Stump Alex Kasman on math in fiction

Alex Kasman wrote:
Hi,

Thanks for the suggestions. One thing that confuses the issue is that
there are some works I already know of but am actively looking for
more information about, and others that I have looked at and
determined to be unsuitable.

For instance, "The Living Equations" and also "The Orb of
Probabilities" by Nathan Schachner have both been on my "looking for"
list for a while. I have not been able to determine enough about them
to see whether I want to post them. Hofstadter's "Tale of Happiton"
is SORT OF listed on my site already in that it is included in the
table of contents for the collection Mathenauts at

http://kasmana.people.cofc.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf52

However, I did not feel that the story was actually mathematical
enough to include on the list. On the other hand, I have never heard
of Janet Kagan's "Fermat's Best Theorem". I'll have to add that to my
list of works to find.

Perhaps some of you could help me with the list of works I'm actively
looking for. Since I already know the title and authors, I would need
extra help here. For instance, if any of you can provide me with a
summary including a description of the role of mathematics, I could
just post your description on my website. (If you can send me a copy
of the story, that would be even better. Our library here is not the
best resource for old SF.)

For people looking for them, here's where to find them:

Fermat's Lost theorem by Jerry Oltion

Analog mid-Dec 1994

The Living Equations by Nathan Schachner
The Orb of Probabilities by Nathan Schachner

For these two you need someone with a really old collection of "Astounding", since they don't appear to have been reprinted since the 1930s.

The Higher Space by Jamil Nasir

Bantam 1996 novel

Godel Numbers by J.W. Swanson

Galaxy Mar 1969

and now also Fermat's Best Theorem by Janet Kagan

Absolute Magnitude Summer 1995, and the ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE anthology

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Hope is the feeling you have that the feeling you have isn't permanent.
.

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