Behind the nine zeros

Hidden Mathematics in Fiction

Fiction and mathematics – two seemingly disparate disciplines. However, the average reader of novels and poems is probably unaware of how many famous literary works contain mathematical themes. Sarah Hart is not only an avid reader but also a successful mathematician, so she immediately recognises, collects, and expertly examines such motifs when she reads.
She delights in finding mentions of cycloids in Moby-Dick, Tristram Shandy, and Gulliver's Travels, and integral calculus in War and Peace; she verifies the correctness of Swift's and Voltaire's calculations; she uncompromisingly assesses the cryptological skills of Sherlock Holmes and Robert Langdon. And she spices up her explanations with puzzles, verses, and anecdotes, all with a single goal: to prove to all readers that the beauty of mathematics and the beauty of literature are not nearly as incompatible as some might think.