The planiverse
computer contact with a two-dimensional world
by A.K. Dewdney · first published 1984
69% recommend31% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Speculative story of a two-dimensional world's physics, biology and society. Readers enjoy its clear explanation of how 2D life might work and its delightful diagrams. Suits readers of science-minded fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A mind-bending, paradigm shifting visit with Yedred, a denizen of the 2 dimensional Universe. It is written so that the physics comes through very easily for those without science training. A university student discovers that this being Yendred is communicating with him through his computer. There begins a lively dialog as both the 2D Yendred and the 3D author struggle to explain and understand each others worlds. This book opens your mind with delight and challenge.
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The Planiverse by A. K. Dewdney is also a great read on this subject - its less of an allegory than Flatland and focuses more on what the physiology and society of 2D life might look like. Worth a look.
on “Can Life Exist in 2 and 1 Dimensions?” ↗…get vetoed ? It seems like an excellent choice. How about Feinmans story about how his dad would talk to him about 'small things' by pretending he was very small ? Another alternative, a bit from The Planiverse by AK Dewdney ?
on “20 minutes to subvert 10 year old minds...” ↗I also recommend A.K. Dewdney's The Planiverse, published in 1984. It tells the story of computer science students who communicate with denizens of a 2D world. The diagrams and graphics are delightful. I read it when it came out (I was 13) and it's…
on “Flatland: A Forgivably Flat Classic” ↗The Planiverse: Computer contact with a two-dimensional world - by A.K. Dewdney > A mind-bending, paradigm shifting visit with Yedred, a denizen of the 2 dimensional Universe. It is written so that the physics comes…
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗…haven't been mentioned yet. They're (slowly) being reprinted by Cambridge, or you can buy a CD with all of them. Now the rest. One lesser-known book that made a deep impression on me: A.K. Dewdney's "The Planiverse", a kind of Flatland-meets-the-MIT-hackers story. How would architecture, biology, and chemistry work in a 2-dimensional world? Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World" was an important book for me, but I read…
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗Fiction: Mordecai Roshwald, Level 7 Alexander Dewdney, The Planiverse Joseph Heller, God Knows Alan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams Non-fiction: Jane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man Gian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts C. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image Michael E. Brown,…
on “Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?” ↗This comment is related to the title but not the content. Several years ago I read "The Planiverse" by Dewdney [1], which I thought was delightful. The premise is that a CS professor and his students simulate a Game-of-life/Lenia type system for a while, and then in one case they learn that they can…
on “Lenia – Mathematical Life Forms” ↗…such that it is possible for a feudal society to stage an invasion from one to the other using balloons). Celestial Matters by Richard Garfinkle has Ptolemaic cosmology and Aristotelian physics. The Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World by A.K. Dewdney is sort of a modern take on the classic Flatland by Edwin Abbot, and manages to improve upon it considerably. The Long Earth series by Terry…
on “Ask HN: Is there any fiction that's based on a world with different physics?” ↗Abbott's Flatland is a nice little book that attempts to do the same. And then there is AK Dewdney's Planiverse. Both are well worth reading if you haven't seen them before, the Planiverse is more modern and probably more engaging but Flatland is quite interesting as well.
In the same spirit, by A.K. Dewdney : The Planiverse.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Reminds me of 'the Planiverse' by AK Dewdney.
on “I don't know, Timmy, being God is a big responsibility” ↗Or the Planiverse by A.K.Dewdney
on “The Feynman Lectures on Physics Audio Collection” ↗This is similar to how "zipper organs" work in AK Dewdney's The Planiverse, they keep 2D creatures from being separated by their digestive system. The passage that covers this concept is on page 44 which is unfortunately out of the range allowed by the publisher -> http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Planiverse.html?id=w...
on “Shaft passer” ↗Yes, that would be "The Planiverse" by noted computer scientist and author (and sometimes conspiracy theorist) A. K. Dewdney. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse http://www.csd.uwo.ca/faculty/akd/PERSONAL/books_and_article...
on “Aspiring to a Higher Plane: “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions” (2011)” ↗We know that life is possible in two dimensions. A.K. Dewdney writes about his encounter with Yendred from the planet Arda in his novel The Planiverse.
on “Can Life Exist in 2 and 1 Dimensions?” ↗