Recommendation: Flatland by Edwin Abbott (free)

[.jime]

I had read this book a few years back after being recommended it by one of my college friends reading it in one of his math classes. It's a book about a 2D society and how it functions with recognizing people and the hierarchy of society with only two dimensions.

Anyways, in a dream, the main character of the book (A Square) is visited by a Sphere, which takes the square to a 3D world, and teaches him how to recognize and understand the higher dimension.
It sounds pretentious and uninteresting, but it's incredibly witty and well written, and it REALLY opens your mind up to the possibility of higher dimensions in a very unique way.

I looked it up and got it on my Kindle last night, and was delighted to see that it was free.

It's about 100 pages of brilliance, and anyone who is remotely interested in seeing things in a new light and challenging their brain should absolutely give it their full attention.

[Ann in Arlington]

We read this in 7th grade. . . . .I have a paper copy around here somewhere. . . .an e-copy for free sounds like just the thing!

[tamborine]

My friend & I were just discussing this book the other night; her husband, who's a chemist, told her about it, and she got it for her iPad. I checked out a few pages of it - it looks pretty good, so I got it.  I'm afraid that since I'm not mathematically inclined, it's going to go right over my head, or just boggle my mind. But hey, I'll try to read it anyway, what have I got to lose? 

[Ann in Arlington]

Nah. . . won't go over your head. . . .as I said, we read it as 7th/8th graders. . . . . .it does make you think about how you perceive the world. . . .

[kansaskyle]

Thank you for the recommendation.  Here is a link to download a free copy from the Kindle Store. 

[R. M. Reed]

I have a movie version on DVD. It's low budget CG, done pretty much by one person, but it's pretty good.

[pidgeon92]

I haven't read it yet, but I did download a copy a few months back based on a recommendation from my niece, who was reading it in 8th grade....