Mathematics in Popular Culture: Essays on Appearances in Film, Fiction, Games, Television and Other Media

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Although mathematics has long been considered an arcane, inaccessible discipline, it has maintained a surprising presence in popular media for over a century. In recent years, the movies Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, and Stand and Deliver, the stage plays Breaking the Code and Proof, the novella Flatland, and the hugely successful TV crime series NUMB3RS all weave mathematics prominently into their storylines. Less obvious but pivotal references to the subject appear in the blockbuster TV show Lost, the cult movie The Princess Bride, and even Tolstoy’s War and Peace. In this compendium, contributors consider the role of math in everything from blockbuster films, baseball, crossword puzzles, fantasy role-playing games, and television shows to science fiction tales, award-winning plays, and classic works of literature. Revealing the broad range of intersections between mathematics and mainstream culture, this collection demonstrates that even
mass entertainment
can have a hidden depth.