"The Imaginary" is a
science fiction short story by American writer
Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
. It first appeared in the November 1942 issue of ''
Super Science Stories'' and was reprinted in the 1972 collection ''
The Early Asimov''. Following the sale of "
Half-Breeds on Venus", which was a sequel to "
Half-Breed", Asimov suggested to ''
Astounding Science Fiction
''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'' editor
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...
that he write a sequel to the story "
Homo Sol
"Homo Sol" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the September 1940 issue of '' Astounding Science Fiction'' and reprinted in the 1972 collection ''The Early Asimov''. It deals with the prop ...
". Campbell was unenthusiastic, but agreed. Since "The Imaginary" lacked the human-alien conflict that he had liked in the earlier story, Campbell ultimately rejected it. "The Imaginary" was the twenty-first story written by Asimov, and the twenty-ninth to be published. Due to the peculiar workings of the science fiction magazine publishing industry, "The Imaginary" appeared a month after the third story in the Homo Sol Trilogy, "
The Hazing
"The Hazing" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the October 1942 issue of ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' and reprinted in the 1972 collection ''The Early Asimov''. Discussing the story in ''The Early Asimov ...
".
Plot summary
In the ''Homo Sol'' stories, the Galactic Federation has developed psychology into a
hard science, with quantitative equations and solutions for behavior. Consequently, master psychologists are important and highly regarded.
Psychologist Tan Porus of
Arcturus University has come up with a daring explanation for the mind of a particular
squid
True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...
species which has baffled all other Federation scientists. His formula relies on the use of
imaginary numbers in its intermediate steps, which cancel out at the end and provide real answers matching the squid's observed behavior. His colleagues are outraged by this unorthodoxy.
While Porus is on leave at home, two of his students read about a series of experiments using
magnetic
Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particle ...
fields and radiation to induce reactions in invertebrate animals. They devise a stimulus based on those techniques which should lead to imaginary numbers in the result of the squid equations.
They carry out the experiment, with catastrophic results. The creature starts to emit a 'death field' of
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
of an unknown type that expands uncontrollably and can potentially kill all animal and plant life.
Porus is urgently recalled from his home planet and devises a method that should theoretically stop the expansion; by changing the
pH level of the water in the squid's tank beyond 3.0. He volunteers to try the method himself, using an
osmium
Osmium (from Greek grc, ὀσμή, osme, smell, label=none) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mos ...
-plated suit that will temporarily resist the radiation. He pours hydrochloric acid into the tank and succeeds in destroying the field.
See also
*
Arcturus in fiction
References
*Asimov, Isaac, "The Imaginary" in ''The Early Asimov'' .
External links
*
"The Imaginary"on the
Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imaginary, The
Short stories by Isaac Asimov
1942 short stories
Works originally published in Super Science Stories