Formulaic Magic: Difference between revisions

Authors often neglect to establish this link between math and reality, instead treating equations as if they possess a power all on their own. This often manifests in two ways:

 

* '''Giving math a will of its own:''' The mere presence of some mathematical statement on paper or in someone's mind has some effect on its surroundings -- discoverers [[Go Mad From the Revelation|immediately go insane]], or logical reasoning ceases to work in its presence.

 

== 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}}.

 

 

== Literature ==

* Connected to the above, ''[[The Laundry Series]]'' by Charles Stross also shows magic as mathematics, to the point where computers solving certain equations can warp reality as per magical spells. Becomes a bit of a problem when the walls around reality start weakening, to the worst-case scenario of somebody solving equations in their head running the risk of accidentally summoning an [[Eldritch Abomination]].

* Jack L. Chalker's ''Well of Souls'' series: The Great Equation. A couple of supercomputers are capable of [[Reality Warper|warping reality]] retroactively (that is, those who didn't see the change actually happen are incapable of realizing that anything actually changed) by "altering" the Equation, which basically ''is'' reality. By moving a few numbers in the equation, the result -- that is, our reality -- changes to suit.

* The ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series has an [[Whatevermancy|Arithmancy]] class, whose name would imply divination through arithmetic. (Ironic, because Hermione actively loathes Divination ''itself''.) The reader doesn't get to hear much about the subject, though, beyond the fact that Hermione's studying it (and apparently enjoys it).

** In [[Fanon]], Arithmancy is a common choice for [[Peggy Sue|Intelligent!Harry]] stories. In these stories, its usually presented as discussing (and learning) the rules that govern magic itself. For instance, Arithmancy masters can cast wandlessly easier, because they understand the way the magic flows and can create shortcuts, similar to simplifying a complicated equation. Its usually also implied that math in the magic world is dreadfully behind that of [[Muggles]], with Trig being 'the last lesson before Mastery'. Cue Harry [[Shipping Wars|(and hermione, more often than not)]], [[Mary Sue|learning Calc]].

* In the ''[[Young Wizards]]'' series, all magic is based in math and science, and the kids have quite high-level discussions of these things, because part of magic is being able to completely describe what you want to change.

* In "Career Day", one of the stories in the ''Chicks in Chainmail'' anthology, the protagonist comes from a world where magic is done with mathematical formulas. She brings her daughter's class there on a field trip to observe her in her career as a barbarian swordswoman. When her opponent in a duel cheats by hiring a wizard to help him, the other chaperon on the trip, her daughter's math teacher, counteracts the magic with his knowledge of calculus. [[It Makes Sense in Context]].

* The Aons (runes) neccessary to make the magic system from ''[[Elantris]]'' work are very much like a combination of mathematical symbols and a very complex alphabet. Learning magic is incredibly difficult for this reason, and it can take weeks for even an experienced practitioner to write out the more complex spell "equations".

* The premise behind ''[[Simon Bloom]]''

 

== New Media ==

 

 

 

== Video Games ==

** Fun bit of math/''[[Final Fantasy]]'' info here. "Level x Flare" is a type of spell that casts Flare on everything with a level divisible by whatever number x is. ''i'' is a mathematical term referring to the square root of -1, the consummate imaginary number. In addition to that, as the root of -''1'', that also makes it a possible factor in every number, real ''or'' imaginary. ''Nothing'' escapes Level ''i'' Flare.

*** That said, ''1'' holds that same property as well, because as the multiplicative identity, it is a factor of ''every number ever''.

* The [[Final Fantasy Tactics]] series has a Calculator class that uses various magical effects. How their abilities work from an in-universe perspective is not specified.

** According to the remake for the PSP's tutorial, Calculators are attuned enough to the flow of mist that they can manipulate it in unique and bizarre ways which other classes just can't pull off. In other words: SE knew it made absolutely no sense and handwaved it.

* [[Final Fantasy VII]] has an interesting example: When [[One-Winged Angel|Safer Sephiroth]] casts [[Overly-Long Fighting Animation|Super Nova]], four equations fly by the screen. They are, roughly, the potential attractive force between the sun and the planet, the Earth's potential attractive force, and... the area of a circle. You should see the [[Epileptic Trees]] some fans go through to justify that one. Still, 75% good scientific formulae being used in a magic spell is better than average.

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