The Planiverse - Computer Contact With A Two-Dimensional World (Paperback, 1st softcover printing 2000)

A conscious tribute to, and modern reinterpretation of, Edwin Abbott's famous 19th-century fantasy Flatland: science fiction, cast as non-fiction, exploring a theoretically possible but again hard-to-visualize two-dimensional universe. The scenario begins when Dewdney (a real-life computer-science prof) and his students construct, for didactic purposes, a computer program, "2DWORLD," which attempts to simulate the characteristics of two-dimensional space - i.e., a place that has no thickness, like a mathematical circle. Presently they are surprised to discover an unprogrammed intruder, Yendred, a citizen of the "real" two-dimensional planet Arde - who resembles an intelligent four-armed hydra with, naturally, all his internal organs visible. So the story, such as it is, follows Yendred among his fellow-Ardeans as he travels from one side of Arde's only continent to the other in search of knowledge. Arde boasts many fantastic constructions - lifeforms, houses, boats, steam engines, computers - based on reputable research into the characteristics of two-dimensional atoms, gravity fields, electromagnetic waves, etc. And these phenomena, in turn, give rise to a number of fairly obvious philosophical questions. (E.g., are we being observed by imperceptible four-dimensional beings?) In all: an ingenious intellectual exercise - amusing, edifying, sometimes tedious - for those curious about the oddly circumscribed two-dimensional universe and its even odder mechanics. (Kirkus Reviews)

A classic book about life in a two-dimensional universe, written by a well-known author. Now brought back into print in this revised and updated edition, the book is written within the great tradition of Abbott's Flatland, and Hinton's famous Sphereland. Accessible, imaginative, and clever, it will appeal to a wide array of readers, from serious mathematicians and computer scientists, to science fiction fans.

General

Imprint:	Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	October 2000
First published:	2000
Authors:	A. K. Dewdney
Dimensions:	235 x 156 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	245
Edition:	1st softcover printing 2000
ISBN-13:	978-0-387-98916-7
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Popular science Books > Computing & IT > General theory of computing > General Books > Computing & IT > Applications of computing > General Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > Astrophysics Promotions
LSN:	0-387-98916-1
Barcode:	9780387989167

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