Division by Zero

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

It is hard to imagine that there is a story, and even a wonderful story, in applying a mathematical formula to someone's life....


http://www.fantasticmetropolis.com/i/...

[Banner]

Ok these are short stories so I get it, they are short...

This one just seemed to end. But the more I thought about it I think I get it. He ended on the main point. He took us to what he wanted us to see and then stopped talking. This guys gets deep.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I know Banner! I love thinking about this story...I think it's a great concept. and mathematicians are supposed to be socially inept! lol

[Suzanne]

I loved the math stuff and I thought his explanations of theories and mathematical axioms were very good - they were clear and interesting. It was also really interesting to think about the result if the basic foundational axioms were proved to not hold, since, as the story said, all of mathematics are built upon them. The ending sure seemed abrupt though, at least to me.

[Jim]

Now this was an impressive story. First, it's math-centered sci-fi, which is rare, and the math is interesting and well explained, which is even more rare. And to top it all off, it's equally about the characters' relationship. Very nice.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I felt in a way it was about the mathematical equation applied to their lives....I have never seen anything like that before

[Jessie J]

This was my least favorite so far, but I can see why others more mathematically enchanted would like it. ;^)

[Lisa]

I thought this story was brilliant. I've read it twice. The first time I was working through the math and Renee's loss of faith. Then I wanted to go back and focus on the relationship side of the equation to see Carl's loss of faith. The story is very elegantly constructed and I find I still have a lot to think about.

[Suzanne]

I have a lot of experience with mathematics, and have often told students, etc. that math is the foundation of the other sciences. I was taught that when something can be proved in math that it is absolutely true, and it's true that the standards of proof are rigorous - yet they are all based on those axioms discussed in the story. I had never considered what would happen if those axioms were proved to be false - anyway, what a great idea from the author.

[LindaJ^]

This story was one of my favorites (hard to pick a favorite in this book as they are all so good). Initially I thought the ending was rather abrupt but then changed my mind. The reader is given all the necessary background and then allowed to make his or her own determination of what lies ahead.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Chiang takes something that most of us wouldn't consider to be "personal" (math) and builds a character-based story around it. Very impressive. And there is a depth that suggests multiple readings would be rewarded.

[Álvaro]

I like the structure of the tale. On one side, the math research and, on the other, her personal life, and how both are intertwined

[tripu]

I want to share this short video of the derivation of Euler's Identity, a mathematical formula that is mentioned in Chiang's notes about “Division by Zero” — for those who enjoy mathematics).

If I understood correctly, Chiang expresses awe at this elegant way to get to Euler's Identity, and I was curious to find it online. The sequence is easy enough to understand for those with high school-level of maths (although perhaps a little bit more is necessary).