"The Imaginary" is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

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 ''Super Science Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine published by Popular Publications from 1940 to 1943, and again from 1949 to 1951. Popular launched it under their Fictioneers imprint, which they used for magazines, payin ...

'' and was reprinted in the 1972 collection ''

The Early Asimov ''The Early Asimov or, Eleven Years of Trying'' is a 1972 collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov. Each story is accompanied by commentary by the author, who gives details about his life and his literary achievements in the period in which he w ...

''. Following the sale of "

Half-Breeds on Venus "Half-Breeds on Venus" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. Asimov was asked by Frederik Pohl, editor of '' Astonishing Stories'', to write a sequel to his earlier Tweenie story " Half-Breed", and he spent April and ...

", which was a sequel to "

Half-Breed Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white. Use by governments United States In ...

", 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 Hard science and soft science are colloquial terms used to compare scientific fields on the basis of perceived methodological rigor, exactitude, and objectivity. Roughly speaking, the formal sciences & natural sciences are considered "hard", wher ...

, with quantitative equations and solutions for behavior. Consequently, master psychologists are important and highly regarded. Psychologist Tan Porus of

Arcturus , - bgcolor="#FFFAFA" , Note (category: variability): , , H and K emission vary. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Boötes. With an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05, it is the third-brightest of the ...

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 An imaginary number is a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit , is usually used in engineering contexts where has other meanings (such as electrical current) which is defined by its property . The square of an imaginary number is . Fo ...

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.

References

*Asimov, Isaac, "The Imaginary" in ''The Early Asimov'' .

External links

*
"The Imaginary"
on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imaginary, The Short stories by Isaac Asimov 1942 short stories Works originally published in Super Science Stories

Plot summary

See also

References

External links