Chemistry and Science Fiction

by Stocker, Jack H.

• ISBN13: 9780841232488
• ISBN10: 0841232482
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-14
• Publisher: American Chemical Society

Summary

This lively collection looks at science as filtered through literature, film, and television. It discusses classic works in science fiction and provides an in-depth look at the chemistry depicted in popular culture, particularly in Star Trek , Star Wars , and Doctor Who . It includes an examination by Nebula Award winner Connie Willis of how science fiction authors use science, and reprints two tongue-in-cheek short stories by Isaac Asimov. The book also includes suggestions for using science fiction as an educational resource.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii	(2)
Some (Extra-Terrestrial) Acknowledgments	ix	(2)
Contributors	xi	(8)
Introduction	xix
James Gunn
An Overview	3	(32)
1. A Science Fiction Primer for the Uninitiated	3	(18)
Jack H. Stocker
2. Science in Science Fiction: A Writer's Perspective	21	(14)
Connie Willis
History and Tradition	35	(122)
3. The Search for a Definition of Mankind: H. G. Wells and His Predecessors	35	(18)
Ben B. Chastain
4. Planetary Chemistry in 100 Years of Science Fiction	53	(24)
Mark A. Nanny
5. Beryllium, Thiotimoline, and Pate de Fois Gras: Chemistry in the Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov	77	(14)
Ben B. Chastain
6. The Improbable Properties of Imipolex G: Chemistry and Materials Science in Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow	91	(14)
Carl Trindle
7. Sherlock Holmes: The Eccentric Chemist	105	(22)
James F. O'Brien
8. The Right Environment: Using Real Chemistry as a Basis for Science Fiction	127	(10)
Harry E. Pence
9. On the Covers of Science Fiction Magazines	137	(20)
Jack H. Stocker
The New Media: Television and the Movies	157	(48)
10. Where No One Has Gone Before: Chemistry in Star Trek	157	(16)
Natalie Foster
11. Chemistry in TV Science Fiction: Star Trek and Dr. Who	173	(32)
Penny A. Chaloner
Chemists at Play	205	(28)
12. The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline	205	(6)
Isaac Asimov
13. Pate de Foie Gras	211	(16)
Isaac Asimov
14. Temporal Chirality: The Burgenstock Communication	227	(6)
Michael J.S. Dewar
Encouraging Creativity in the Classroom	233	(36)
15. Science Fiction: A Classroom Resource	233	(8)
Jack H. Stocker
16. Using Science Fiction To Help Teach Science: A Survey of Chemists and Physicists	241	(10)
Clarence J. Murphy
Mary Ann Mogus
Patricia M. Crotty
17. Space, Time, and Education	251	(18)
John E. Arnold
Appendix: Recommendations for Further Reading	269	(16)
Index	285