The Dynamics of an Asteroid
Encyclopedia
The Dynamics of An Asteroid is a fictional book
by Professor James Moriarty
, the implacable foe of Sherlock Holmes
. The book is described by author Arthur Conan Doyle
in "The Valley of Fear
" (written in 1914, but set in 1888) when Sherlock Holmes, speaking of Professor Moriarty, states
With this class of talent, Professor Moriarty evoked the profound respect of Sherlock Holmes, one of the few opponents to do so (Irene Adler
being another.)
Doyle also portrayed Professor Moriarty as the author of a treatise upon the binomial theorem
, written when he was only 21 years of age. In addition to covering a completely different topic, it must have been quite a bit more accessible, since it got him a position as a chair
of mathematics at a provincial university.
wrote a ground-breaking treatise on the dynamics of an asteroid (1 Ceres
). However, it was understood immediately and his method is still used today (see Gauss's method).
Two decades before Arthur Conan Doyle
's writing, the American dynamic astronomer Simon Newcomb
had published a series of books analyzing motions of planets in the solar system. The notoriously spiteful Professor Newcomb
could well have been an inspiration for Professor Moriarty.
An example of mathematics that could not be criticized are the letters of Srinivasa Ramanujan
, sent to several mathematicians at the University of Cambridge
in 1913. Only one of them, G. H. Hardy
, even recognized their merit. Despite being experts in the field, he and J.E. Littlewood added that many of them "defeated me completely; I had never seen anything in the least like them before."
, which involves examining an item's referring documents, is used in searching for materials and analyzing their merit. Since citation analysis does not look at a document's contents, only references to it, it can be applied to a documents such as Dynamics or Treatise that do not in fact exist.
Dynamics is referenced in the professional scientific literature and in textbooks.
The list in the previous section shows 42 references to Dynamics and 27 to Treatise, which are a lower limit, since the list is not up to date. An online search, as of 2005, for these titles with author Moriarty, reveals 263 references to Dynamics and 209 to Treatise. These are excellent numbers for any scientific paper, where the overall average is about 6 references. They are even better when compared to other papers from the same era - by 1900, the Royal Society's Catalog of Scientific Papers already listed 800,000 papers from 3000 journals. Most of these have been forgotten, and only a few are still referenced today, as shown by analyses of references to old scientific articles. The Dynamics of An Asteroid is among the select group of Victorian scientific works that are still remembered and referenced even today, despite (or perhaps because of) its nonexistence.
Fictional book
A fictional book is a book that sometimes provides the basis of the plot of a story, a common thread in a series of books, or the works of a particular writer or canon of work. A fictional book may also be used as a mode of conceit to illustrate a story within a story.-Prominent fictional...
by Professor James Moriarty
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
, the implacable foe of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
. The book is described by author Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
in "The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915, and the first book edition was published in New York on 27 February 1915.- Part I: The Tragedy of Birlstone...
" (written in 1914, but set in 1888) when Sherlock Holmes, speaking of Professor Moriarty, states
- Is he not the celebrated author of The Dynamics of an Asteroid, a book which ascends to such rarefied heights of pure mathematics that it is said that there was no man in the scientific press capable of criticizing it?
With this class of talent, Professor Moriarty evoked the profound respect of Sherlock Holmes, one of the few opponents to do so (Irene Adler
Irene Adler
Irene Adler is a fictional character featured in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in July 1891...
being another.)
Doyle also portrayed Professor Moriarty as the author of a treatise upon the binomial theorem
A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem
A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem is a fictional work of mathematics by the young James Moriarty, the evil archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Arthur Conan Doyle...
, written when he was only 21 years of age. In addition to covering a completely different topic, it must have been quite a bit more accessible, since it got him a position as a chair
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of mathematics at a provincial university.
Related real works
In 1821, Carl Friedrich GaussCarl Friedrich Gauss
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician and scientist who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics.Sometimes referred to as the Princeps mathematicorum...
wrote a ground-breaking treatise on the dynamics of an asteroid (1 Ceres
1 Ceres
Ceres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801...
). However, it was understood immediately and his method is still used today (see Gauss's method).
Two decades before Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's writing, the American dynamic astronomer Simon Newcomb
Simon Newcomb
Simon Newcomb was a Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician. Though he had little conventional schooling, he made important contributions to timekeeping as well as writing on economics and statistics and authoring a science fiction novel.-Early life:Simon Newcomb was born in the town of...
had published a series of books analyzing motions of planets in the solar system. The notoriously spiteful Professor Newcomb
Simon Newcomb
Simon Newcomb was a Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician. Though he had little conventional schooling, he made important contributions to timekeeping as well as writing on economics and statistics and authoring a science fiction novel.-Early life:Simon Newcomb was born in the town of...
could well have been an inspiration for Professor Moriarty.
An example of mathematics that could not be criticized are the letters of Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srīnivāsa Aiyangār Rāmānujan FRS, better known as Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan was a Indian mathematician and autodidact who, with almost no formal training in pure mathematics, made extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions...
, sent to several mathematicians at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1913. Only one of them, G. H. Hardy
G. H. Hardy
Godfrey Harold “G. H.” Hardy FRS was a prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis....
, even recognized their merit. Despite being experts in the field, he and J.E. Littlewood added that many of them "defeated me completely; I had never seen anything in the least like them before."
Discussion of possible book contents
Doyle provided no evidence relating to the contents of Dynamics. This has in no way prevented people from speculating about what it contained. Here are a few essays on this topic by some famous authors, and a list of many more references:- "The Ultimate Crime", short story by Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, in Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Space, Severn House (UK), 1985. pp. 339–355. ISBN 0-312-94400-4
- "The Dynamics of An Asteroid", short story by Robert BlochRobert BlochRobert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
, The Baker Street Journal, 1953 (Also found in Marvin Kaye (ed.), The Game Is Afoot, St Martin's Press (USA), 1994. pp. 488–493 ISBN 0-312-11797-3)
- In the novel Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: The Revenge of the Sinister SixSinister SixThe Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe, drawn from Spider-Man's rogues gallery. The original incarnation of the group was organized by Doctor Octopus, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 ....
, by Adam-Troy CastroAdam-Troy CastroAdam-Troy Castro is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer living in Miami, FL. He has more than eighty stories to his credit and has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Stoker. These stories include four Spider-Man novels, including the Sinister Six trilogy,...
, a veiled reference is made to Moriarty and his Dynamics. Here the work is said to still be the authority on orbital bombardment.
Citation analysis
Citation analysisCitation analysis
Citation analysis is the examination of the frequency, patterns, and graphs of citations in articles and books. It uses citations in scholarly works to establish links to other works or other researchers. Citation analysis is one of the most widely used methods of bibliometrics...
, which involves examining an item's referring documents, is used in searching for materials and analyzing their merit. Since citation analysis does not look at a document's contents, only references to it, it can be applied to a documents such as Dynamics or Treatise that do not in fact exist.
Dynamics is referenced in the professional scientific literature and in textbooks.
The list in the previous section shows 42 references to Dynamics and 27 to Treatise, which are a lower limit, since the list is not up to date. An online search, as of 2005, for these titles with author Moriarty, reveals 263 references to Dynamics and 209 to Treatise. These are excellent numbers for any scientific paper, where the overall average is about 6 references. They are even better when compared to other papers from the same era - by 1900, the Royal Society's Catalog of Scientific Papers already listed 800,000 papers from 3000 journals. Most of these have been forgotten, and only a few are still referenced today, as shown by analyses of references to old scientific articles. The Dynamics of An Asteroid is among the select group of Victorian scientific works that are still remembered and referenced even today, despite (or perhaps because of) its nonexistence.
External links
- List of many references to Dynamics, as well as other works of Moriarty, Holmes, and others.