Product Details
The Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-dimensional World

The Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-dimensional World
By A.K. Dewdney

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Product Description

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

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #431411 in Books
  • Published on: 2000-11-01
  • Original language: German
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 247 pages

Editorial Reviews

The Computer Journal, Official Journal of the British Computer Society, Vol. 45 , Issue 5, 2002
"it gently approaches a relatively 'new' universe of ideas, inventions and conjectures..."

About the Author
A.K. Dewdney, a computer scientist, mathematician, and long-time contributor to 'Scientific American', is the author of 'Hungry Hollow' (Copernicus Books, 1998) and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo.

Customer Reviews

A flat world with hidden depth5
This brilliant story seems so real that the author heard from many readers asking for technical details of the computer settings that gave access to the Planiverse. The secret is that beneath the two-dimensional surface of the story there is hidden a Sufi allegory, hinted at by the many Arabic words in the language of the flat world. The climax brings the chief character to a shrine in the form of a rectangle - the two-dimensional equivalent of the cuboid Kaaba at the heart of Islam. I don't want to spoil the surprise that awaits readers when he gets there. It leaves you seeing our three-dimensional universe through new eyes.

Fascinating, insightful journey into an alternative universe5
A.K. Dewdney has written a fascinating account of a two-dimensional world. What sets this book apart is the scientific rigour with which Dewdney describes how things work in (on?) a flat world.

It's very detailed, and very entertaining. A good read!