Christmas special 2024 - Ideals coming soon
In 1929, Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy published a fantasy novel titled Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin.
If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry! You can find a synopsis and even some amusing mock-ups of Tolstoy on Wikipedia. But let’s cut to the chase—the story’s charm isn’t just in its sci-fi intrigue but in a delightful mix-up: Tolstoy mistook a hyperboloid for a paraboloid. Classic!
Engineer Garin, the story’s protagonist and a brilliant chemist, invents something eerily similar to a modern laser. His invention brings him all the usual drama: greedy tycoons, life-threatening escapades, and a healthy dose of existential dread. Tolstoy himself couldn’t decide how to wrap up this chaotic tale. His indecision is forgivable—after all, even his grandmother warned him that people like Garin either end up as tyrants or tragedies. So, to keep things flexible, Tolstoy gave his novel not one but two endings. Talk about a writer’s workaround!
Now, let’s get nerdy for a moment. A hyperbola (or its three-dimensional sibling, the hyperboloid) does have foci, but—and this is important—they don’t behave like the focus of a parabola. A ray of light passing through one focus of a hyperbola reflects off its surface and reemerges as if it came from the second focus. Handy for confusion, right? This mix-up isn’t unique to Tolstoy. Mirror telescopes, for example, often feature a parabolic main mirror to concentrate light and a smaller hyperbolic mirror to redirect those rays toward your eye.
The result? Stunning starlit views… and maybe an unintended homage to Tolstoy’s hyperbolic adventures. Cheers to science, storytelling, and a little festive mix-up of geometry this holiday season!
P.S. 25-12-24 16:05 From the conversation at our Christmas dinner table while ago:
- Pi R squared.
- No, pies aren'tt squared, they are round.
