Flatland, by Edwin Abbott

Date: 8/21/96 at 11:12:59
From: Anonymous
Subject: Flatland, by Edwin Abbott

I need any info about the book FLATLAND by Edwin Abbott and also how 
it can be used in the classroom.

Date: 9/2/96 at 14:13:31
From: Doctor Jodi
Subject: Re: Flatland, by Edwin Abbott

Hi there! 

Here is just a general list of some information on Flatland and class-
related projects. It's largely unorganized, but I hope it will be 
helpful.  You can find more information by searching the Dr. Math 
archives at http://mathforum.org/dr.math   .

Several sequels to FLATLAND have been written.  My favorite is 
A. K. Dewdney's _The Planiverse_, which covers many interesting 
technical details like how to play volleyball, open doors, and use 
zippers in 2D.  Some students might like to explain (in an oral 
presentation or poster) how some of these inventions work.  
Afterwards, you might ask groups of students to invent something in 2D 
and discuss dimensions.

The tesseract, or hypercube, can be visualized using computer graphics 
like those at http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/docs/outreach/4-cube/   .  For 
more concrete, hands-on experiences, there is a Mathematics Teacher 
article on "building" a hypercube.  I highly recommend using both of 
these activities, if possible. You can also find information on Edwin 
Abbott online at 

  http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/abbott/overview.html   

Here is what a few teachers have to say on the subject:

As an advanced geometry teacher, I require my students to read 
Flatland.  I have asked two essay questions:
      
1. What would the inhabitants of Flatland perceive if it had been a
   cube instead of a circle [ed.: actually, it was a SPHERE] that 
   visited Flatland, and

2. What theory would you have used to color the inhabitants?

I am looking for other interesting essay questions or projects with 
regard to Flatland.

Dorothy Bannar
dorothy@mathforum.org

From: David Farmer
Subject:    Re: Flatland
Date:       2 Apr 1994 20:34:50 GMT

The book `The shape of space' by Jeff Weeks has a nice continuation of 
the Flatland Story.  The Flatlanders explore their world, and strange 
things happen because they don't actually live on a plane and they 
don't live on a sphere!  Read the book to see what surface they live 
on.

I am writing a book which will discuss surfaces and such from a 
different perspective, on a level accessible to your students and it 
will include plenty of project ideas.  It hopefully will be done over 
the summer, and I will make it available on the net.

Dave

SHAPE OF SPACE has also been issued in a video version by the Geometry 
Center http://www.geom.uiuc.edu   .  The video should be available 
through their loan program.  An associated curriculum also exists; I'm 
not sure what its current status is.

-Doctor Jodi,  The Math Forum
 Check out our web site!  http://mathforum.org/dr.math/