All The Tropes

First Contact Math: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

First Contact Math (view source)

Revision as of 12:06, 14 August 2023

781 bytes removed ,  9 months ago
→‎Literature: +aversion
VisualWikitext
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.FirstContactMath 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.FirstContactMath, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license)
 
(→‎Literature: +aversion)
 
(18 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:First hundred primes in base 3, read bottom-to-top and right-to-left.gif|frame|Stumped? Look at the file name.]]
[[First Contact]] situations with [[Starfish Aliens]] have an inherent problem--sinceproblem—since the aliens are so incomprehensible, how will you even realize that they're intelligent? For that matter, how can you convince them that you are?
 
The generally accepted universal signal of intelligence in this situation is the ability to produce a sequence of prime numbers<ref>Why? Because prime numbers are only divisible by the number one and themselves. For example, it doesn't matter what number base you are using or what you call the numbers, 7 rocks cannot be divided up into any whole number of equal groups of rocks without breaking them. '''If''' the aliens have math, they'll get thisthis—it's --an aspect very closely tied to resource allocation, which is one of the first tricks any intelligent group has to figure out.</ref>--the ideaYou issee, thatprime they'renumbers tooare irregularonly todivisible ariseby from any natural process<ref>Although reproduction cycle periods of some insects tend to be primethe number of years to prevent matching other kind's onesone and thenthemselves; predatorsfor synchronising on them</ref> (i.e.example, noseven mathematicalrocks equationcannot isbe knowndivided thatup willinto produceany them),whole butnumber mathematicallyof simpleequal enoughgroups thatof it'srocks assumedwithout any intelligent being can recognizebreaking them as non-random. MoreIt generally,doesn't anythingmatter obviouslywhat recognizablenumber asbase simpleyou mathare (such as digits of pi,using or awhat proofyou ofcall the Pythagoreannumbers; theorem)seven canrocks serve(• the• same• function.• Of• course,• the digits of pi•) will changealways ifbe the aliens don't have a base-10 system ([[Alternative Number System|odds are that they don't]])same, while the prime numbers will not change if you represent themobservable properlyamount.
 
More generally, anything obviously recognizable as simple math, such as the Fibonacci sequence or proof of the Pythagorean theorem, can serve the same function.<ref>Relaying the digits of pi doesn't work as well; if the aliens don't have a base-10 system ([[Alternative Number System|and the odds are that they don't]]), the digits of pi ''will'' be different</ref> Whatever you choose, the point is to present a sequence of numbers that wouldn't arise by pure chance from a natural system, yet would still be simple enough to be understood by any intelligent group as non-random.
While this is generally accepted in fiction, some philosophers of mathematics [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Mathematics_Comes_From speculate] that mathematics as we know it might be a solely human affair.<ref>Actual mathematicians aren't so impressed with this idea.</ref><ref>Physical scientists don't think much of it either.</ref>▼
 
▲While this is generally accepted in fiction, some philosophers of mathematics [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Mathematics_Comes_From:Where Mathematics Comes From|speculate]] that mathematics as we know it might be a solely human affair.<ref> Actual mathematicians aren't so impressed with this idea.</ref><ref> Physical scientists don't think much of it either.</ref>
Often this can look like an instance of [[Only Smart People May Pass]]. However, while [[Only Smart People May Pass]] happens in the context of a pre-created puzzle or situation, the entire point of [[First Contact Math]] is that it provides the best hope we might have of communicating without having any context at all.▼
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
 
▲OftenOn the surface, this can look like ana instancetest ofdesigned [[Onlyto Smartweed Peopleout Maythe Pass]]non-educated. However,But unlike whilethe [[Only Smart People May Pass]] trope, which happens in the context of a pre-created puzzle or situation, the entire point of [['''First Contact Math]]''' is that it provides the best hope we might have of communicating without having any established context at all.
== Comic Books ==▼
 
"[http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~carlp/PDF/extraterrestrial.pdf Prime Numbers and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence]", by Carl Pomerance, is an academic paper which discusses the idea in depth.
* ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Another_Planet Life on Another Planet]'' (1978) by [[Will Eisner]]. An artificial radio signal from Barnard's Star listing prime numbers (although the term "prime" is never used in the story) is received at the Mesa Radio Astronomy Observatory.▼
 
▲{{examples|Examples:}}
▲== Comic Books ==
▲* ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Another_Planet:Life on Another Planet|Life on Another Planet]]'' (1978) by [[Will Eisner]]. An artificial radio signal from Barnard's Star listing prime numbers (although the term "prime" is never used in the story) is received at the Mesa Radio Astronomy Observatory.
 
== Literature ==
* ''[[Contact (Filmfilm)|Contact]]'': The alien transmission begins with a sequence of prime numbers, before continuing on to more useful mathematics and science. The novel by Carl Sagan (who also championed the use of primes in this context in [[Real Life]] SETI) makes considerably more of this, also using prime numbers in the encoding of the more complex layers of the transmission.▼
 
▲* ''[[Contact (Film)|Contact]]'': The alien transmission begins with a sequence of prime numbers, before continuing on to more useful mathematics and science. The novel by Carl Sagan (who also championed the use of primes in this context in [[Real Life]] SETI) makes considerably more of this, also using prime numbers in the encoding of the more complex layers of the transmission.
* In ''Schild's Ladder'' by [[Greg Egan]], the protagonists realize that there's intelligent life inside a pseudovacuum when they notice that a series of pulses coming from it represent consecutive prime numbers.
* In [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s novel version of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', Dave Bowman tries (unsuccessfully) to talk to the Iapetus monolith by broadcasting primes at it.
<!-- %% The monolith ratios in 2001 are not an example. The humans know the monoliths are artifacts because they're perfect rectangular prisms, not because they have any particular ratio; when Bowman understands the reason, it's heavily implied to be something inscrutable and alien, not because the monolith-builders were trying to make something that would demonstrate their intelligence. -->
* ''[[Tom Swift]]'': Tom Swift Jr. and his father communicate with some aliens by sending mathematical symbols at them (and vice versa) throughout his entire series. Exactly what is meant by "mathematical symbols" is never made particularly explicit.
* The [[Barbara Hambly (Creator)|Barbara Hambly]] novel ''[[Literature/The Windrose Chronicles|The Silicon Mage]]'' shows Antryg and Joanna communicating with an extra-dimensional via Pi and Planck's Constant.
* ''[[The Action Heros Handbook (Literature)|The Action HerosHero's Handbook]]'' has a chapter on communicating with extraterrestrials, and suggests starting with basic concepts like numbers and shapes because the authors of the book believe that no matter how alien the culture is, they would still be able to have dialogue about that, especially if they're able to go into space.
* This fails in ''Calculating God'' by Robert J. Sawyer; transmissions to Delta Pavonis go unnoticed by the native Wreed, because the Wreed have a brain structure that makes them incapable of doing math. (They can automatically recognize numbers of up to 46, and that's it.) They are very good at ethical problems and analog simulations, though. The Forhilnor also admit that they were astonished to find a civilization on the Wreed homeworld, but stoutly defend their intelligence, noting that the Wreed build beautiful cities out of the sparse available materials there.
* In [[CJC. J. Cherryh]]'s ''Chanur'' series, when the human Tully is cornered by the felinoid Hani, he writes out (in his own blood) numbers from zero on up. When he gets to 10 they realize that he might be using a [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_notation:Positional notation|positional notation system]].
* Used, then subverted in the series beginning with ''Emprise''. An alien transmission is recognized and eventually translated into a simple depiction of the aliens and their system. However, one mathematician claims to have found many more levels of meaning embedded in the message, a la ''The Bible Code''. Ultimately, it turns out that these new levels are the product of his overactive imagination.
** Double subverted in that the message turns out to be from {{spoiler|the remnants of a human colony from humanity's ''first'' attempt at interstellar colonization '''during the last ice age''', which came to an abrupt end when the ''real'' [[Starfish Aliens]] wiped out (almost) all of the colonies and bombed Earth back into the stone age.}}
* The alien ship in ''[[Anathem]]'' has a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem on its hull for this reason.
* [[Larry Niven]] and Jerry Pournelle's ''[[The Mote in Gods Eye (Literature)|The Mote in GodsGod's Eye]]'' has the human exploration party and the Moties use this method for initiating communications.:
{{quote| Cargill and Horvath's team worked together to answer the pulses. ''One, two, three, four'' blinked the light, and Cargill used the forward batteries to send ''five, six, seven''. Twenty minutes later the light sent ''three one eight four eleven'', repeated, and the ship's brain ground out: ''Pi, base twelve''. Cargill used the computer to find ''e'' to the same base and replied with that.<br />
But the true message was, ''We want to talk to you''. And ''MacArthur'''s answer was, ''Fine''.<br />▼
<br />
Elaborations would have to wait. }}▼
▲But the true message was, ''We want to talk to you''. And ''MacArthur'''s answer was, ''Fine''.<br />
<br />
▲Elaborations would have to wait. }}
* In the French novel ''Ceux de nulle part'', the protagonist tries to communicate with an alien by using basic math and fails. Then again, [[Eldritch Abomination|normal physical laws do not seem to apply]] to said alien.
* The Polish short story "Koła na piasku" by Adam Pietrasiewicz parodies this: a human and an alien talk to each other friendlily by radio before realizing what the other is. They immediately proceed to follow the "standard first contact procedures"; the human draws a Pythagorean triangle, while the alien draws some squiggly lines. They then go back to their vehicles and complain by radio that they can't comprehend what the other one drew (and none of them knows math very well, so they don't even know what they drew, only that they were told to draw them).
Line 41:
* In [[Michael Crichton]]'s ''[[Sphere]]'' this is the way Harry manages to first make meaningful contact with the mysterious alien presence.
* In ''The Andromeda Affair'' the aliens are transmitting a sequence of bits whose length is the product of two primes. The hero assumes correctly that this implies the bits should be arranged in a two-dimensional grid to be understood.
* Averted in "The Colors of Space" by [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]. Lhari mathematics is extremely underdeveloped, even though they're a bit more advanced than humans.
 
== Live Action TV ==
* In the ''[[Farscape]]'' episode "Through The Looking-Glass", Crichton realizes an extradimensional being is trying to communicate with them rather than hunt them when he sees that each group of talon slashes that it makes is prime.
 
* In the ''[[FarscapeStar (TV)|FarscapeTrek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "Through The Looking-GlassAllegiance", Crichton realizes an extradimensional beingPicard is tryingkidnapped toby communicateunknown withaliens; themhe ratherattempts thanto huntconvince them whenthat he's seesintelligent thatby eachrepeatedly grouptapping ofout talonthe slashesfirst thatsix itprime makes is primenumbers.
* In an episode of ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', an alien species living on a planet where time moves extremely fast attempt to communicate with the ''Voyager'' (or, as they call it, the Sky Ship) via radio by using prime numbers and universal constants. Since, by the time they receive and recognize the signals, the scientist who sent them is long dead, the ''Voyager'' crew don't bother responding.▼
* In the ''[[Star Trek the Next Generation]]'' episode "Allegiance", Picard is kidnapped by unknown aliens; he attempts to convince them that he's intelligent by repeatedly tapping out the first six prime numbers.
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[Babylon Five5]]''. A probe sent out by an advanced species containing mathematical riddles appears to be this at first... until it's found out the thing's actually a way for the isolationist species to figure out which other races are a threat and destroy them. Fortunately, the probe's fairly stupid.▼
▲* In an episode of ''[[Star Trek Voyager]]'', an alien species living on a planet where time moves extremely fast attempt to communicate with the ''Voyager'' (or, as they call it, the Sky Ship) via radio by using prime numbers and universal constants. Since, by the time they receive and recognize the signals, the scientist who sent them is long dead, the ''Voyager'' crew don't bother responding.
▲* Subverted in an episode of ''[[Babylon Five]]''. A probe sent out by an advanced species containing mathematical riddles appears to be this at first... until it's found out the thing's actually a way for the isolationist species to figure out which other races are a threat and destroy them. Fortunately, the probe's fairly stupid.
<!-- %%* On ''StargateSG-1'', one of several tests set by the Asgard to see whether a colony of humans under their protection was sufficiently advanced to meet the Asgard in person was whether they knew the meaning of pi. This is not an example of this trope, since the Asgard already know that the humans in question are sentient. It actually belongs and is listed under OnlySmartPeopleMayPass, but it's staying here in a comment because people keep trying to add it. -->
* In the ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' parody short ''Closet Cases Of The Nerd Kind'', which features aliens coming down to Earth and hitting people in the face with pies for no apparent reason, some researchers keeps receiving the number 3.14159 and don't understand why. Finally, one character speaks up.
{{quote| '''Exposition Guy:''' I was a scientist before I became a bad actor. I know what that number means.<br />
'''Other Character:''' Well? What is it?<br />
'''Exposition Guy:''' It's... [[Incredibly Lame Pun|pi]]. }}
 
Line 60 ⟶ 59:
 
== Web Original ==
* In ''[[Fine Structure (Literature)|Fine Structure]]'', "Eka", AKA "The Script", starts out from prime numbers and works its way up to describe the entire physics of the universe.
* Parodied in ''[[The Onion]]'': [https://web.archive.org/web/20100219062623/http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30246 Earth Contacted By Extraterrestrial Nerds].▼
 
 
== Other ==
▲* Parodied in ''[[The Onion]]'': [http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30246 Earth Contacted By Extraterrestrial Nerds].
 
 
== Real Life ==
* "[http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~carlp/PDF/extraterrestrial.pdf PrimeThe Numbers and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence]"paper by Carl Pomerance], isin ancase academicyou papermissed whichit discussesin the idea in depthdescription.
* Space probes (like Pioneer 10) we sent out of the Solar System usually contain this in some form. <ref>And a star map telling them [[We Come in Peace, Shoot Toto Kill|where we are]]. [[Naked People Are Funny|And naked people]]. (That last one is presumably to show what humans actually look like. [[It Makes Sense in Context]] -- otherwise the aliens might assume that the probe itself is the intelligent life!</ref>
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincos_<!-- 28language29:Lincos (language)|Lincos]] is one possible example of ''how'' to extend the message into actual communication, building up to a complete language from only the natural numbers (fiction, being written by [[WritersCannotDoMathWriters Cannot Do Math|writers]], usually skips this bit). -->
* The notion mentioned above for ''The Andromeda Affair'' ("a repeating sequence with a period that is the product of two primes is an indicator that it represents a rectangular grid") is not a stunning leap of logic for anyone familiar with SETI, since it's been used in human broadcasts as well.
{{Featured article}}
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:Alien Tropes]]
[[Category:First Contact Math]]
[[Category:Trope]]
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/138133...2024315"