Formulaic Magic: Difference between revisions

* It's [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_shoujo_lyrical_nanoha_a_s/v01/c004/7.html revealed] in the [[All There in the Manual|supplementary]] [[Comic Book Adaptation|manga]] of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' that constructing the [[Instant Runes]] needed for magic in that setting requires a very good grasp of math. In fact, one of the reasons why Nanoha and Fate are such powerful mages is because they're both [[Teen Genius|math geniuses]].

* The [[Reality Warper|reality warping]] abilities of human interfaces in ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi]]'' seem to work like this.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Multiple times in [[The DCU]]:

** The [[Brown Note|Anti-Life Equation]] is usable as a method of [[Mass Hypnosis]]. It runs {{spoiler|1='''Loneliness + Alienation + Fear + Despair + Self-worth ÷ Mockery ÷ Condemnation ÷ Misunderstanding x Guilt x Shame x Failure x Judgment, n=y where y=Hope and n=Folly, Love=Lies, Life=Death, Self=''''''<big>[[Darkseid]]</big>'''}}.

** The [[Pre Crisis]] DCU [[Round Robin]] maxiseries ''DC Challenge'' had a series of numbers in the first issue (written by [[Mark Evanier]]) that were somehow important—but none of the other writers could ever really figure out how. Several of them later used the numbers in formulas for this, that, and the other. The secret? {{spoiler|Add them up on a calculator and turn the calculator upside down; it spelled out the name "ELI ELLIS."}}

** [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] superhero Johnny Quick accessed his superspeed powers by reciting the mathematical formula "3X2(9YZ)4A". More recent materials have [[retcon]]ned this as a mantra that allows him to tap into the mystical Speed Force.

* Small time Marvel villain Mathemanic has an array of math psycho-powers. For example, making people aware of galactic-scale distances so that they can't aim properly.

* There was a ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' arc where Reed whipped up a mathematical equation that became sentient. It was a low-grade [[Reality Warper]] that dealt with reality in mathematical terms and demanded that Reed create a formula that equalled himself.

 

== Film ==

* ''[[Pi]]'': [[Mad Mathematician|Max]] starts the film with a dogmatic belief that "mathematics is the language of nature," which straddles the line between "math is capable of explaining everything in existence" and "math ''determines'' our existence." He later encounters a 216-digit number that seems to have a catastrophic effect on anything it touches: {{spoiler|the stock market, his mentor's health, and eventually his (already tenuous) sanity}}.

* The [[John Carpenter]] horror movie ''[[Prince of Darkness]]'', much like H.P. Lovecraft's stories, has ancient, complex mathematical equations of extraterrestrial origin with seemingly magical powers. They predict the existence of a God and [[God of Evil|Anti-God]] and, once understood, they open up whole range of bizarre phenomena, including [[Magic Mirror|leaping headlong through mirrors]] into an abyssal darkness on the other side.

 

== Literature ==

* The anthology "[[Chicks In Chainmail]]" gave us a short story by Margaret Ball, later expanded to a full novel, called ''Mathemagics'' with this entire premise for the magical system.

 

* The ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''Logopolis'' features a planet where they've developed a branch of mathematics in which the act of performing the calculations changes the fabric of reality. The entire population takes shifts in calculating a never-ending formula that holds the end of the universe at bay.

** Bonus points to the Master for destroying an ''entire quarter of the Universe'' by killing a couple of the guys doing the math.

** A more abstract example is seen in the episode "The Shakespeare Code"; the Carrionites use words as magic, like witches, and the Doctor explains this as completely non-magical by comparing it to mathematics on earth; "With the right string of numbers you can split the atom!" Except, of course, that saying the number out loud will not cause an atom to spontaneously divide in two.

* While not stated on ''[[Lost]]'' itself,the [[Alternate Reality Game]] ''[[The Lost Experience]]'' states that the [[Arc Number|numbers]] (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) are {{spoiler|parameters in the Valenzetti equation used to derive the time remaining before humanity's extinction}}.

 

== New Media ==

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* ''[[Bloom County]]'': Oliver Wendell Jones writes a formula to explain the universe and accidentally wipes out Opus when he realises that, under this formula, flightless water fowl could not exist. He then realises he had forgotten to carry a one, causing an unimpressed Opus to pop back into existence when he makes the correction.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* In ''Complete Arcane'', the 3.5 Edition of [[Dungeons & Dragons]] rulebook, there is a [[Prestige Class]] called the Geometer. They learn to describe magic as using abstract geometric designs. This is an advantage, if nothing else, because they can save a ton on spellbooks: they need only a single page to depict any spell, regardless of complexity, whereas with the traditional method one would need more pages with higher-level spells. They can also use scribe glyphs of these designs to cast a spell silently.

 

== Video Games ==

* Rita's non-spell special attacks in [[Tales of Vesperia]] take the form of mathematical equations.

* Reinhart Manx, the playable mage character in ''[[Dungeon Siege]] III'' employs both this and [[Magitek]], using the power of math rather than fireballs.

 

== Web Comics ==

{{quote|'''Kim''': I am 87% confident you will burst into flames. (*''fwoosh''*)}}

 

== Western Animation ==

* In an episode of ''[[Camp Lazlo]]'', being flipped upside down gradually changes the [[Too Dumb to Live]] characters Chip and Skip into geniuses (it increases the blood flow to their heads). At the height of their intellect, they use their brains to flip themselves right-side up again: this involves rattling off a lengthy Newtonian formula, and then simply glowing with a pink light that levitates them into position. Unfortunately, this reduces the blood flow to their brains, and they soon [[Flowers for Algernon Syndrome|turn right back into idiots]].

* There's a [[Donald Duck]] cartoon called "Donald Duck's Adventures In Mathemagic Land," which is Donald exploring (with the Narrator) the history of mathematics, and math's contribution to things such as music, games, and the natural world.

 

== Real Life ==