Old science fiction story with an alien creature tapping Planck's constant
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About 50 years ago, I read a science fiction story in a "year's best" anthology.
As I remember it, a guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature. He fired a shot, but missed. They somehow get trapped together. At some point, one or the other starts rapping out numbers on the (wall?) between them.
Just as the guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being, the shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
story-identification short-stories
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
add a comment |
About 50 years ago, I read a science fiction story in a "year's best" anthology.
As I remember it, a guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature. He fired a shot, but missed. They somehow get trapped together. At some point, one or the other starts rapping out numbers on the (wall?) between them.
Just as the guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being, the shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
story-identification short-stories
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
9
Huh. That would be one heck of a shot.
– B.fox
Jan 13 at 23:28
add a comment |
About 50 years ago, I read a science fiction story in a "year's best" anthology.
As I remember it, a guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature. He fired a shot, but missed. They somehow get trapped together. At some point, one or the other starts rapping out numbers on the (wall?) between them.
Just as the guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being, the shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
story-identification short-stories
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
About 50 years ago, I read a science fiction story in a "year's best" anthology.
As I remember it, a guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature. He fired a shot, but missed. They somehow get trapped together. At some point, one or the other starts rapping out numbers on the (wall?) between them.
Just as the guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being, the shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
story-identification short-stories
story-identification short-stories
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
edited Jan 13 at 21:31
Jenayah
16.6k485118
16.6k485118
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
asked Jan 13 at 21:12
NancyNancy
13923
13923
9
Huh. That would be one heck of a shot.
– B.fox
Jan 13 at 23:28
add a comment |
9
Huh. That would be one heck of a shot.
– B.fox
Jan 13 at 23:28
9
9
Huh. That would be one heck of a shot.
– B.fox
Jan 13 at 23:28
Huh. That would be one heck of a shot.
– B.fox
Jan 13 at 23:28
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
Possibly "Moon Duel" (1965) by Fritz Leiber, which appeared in 11th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1967). The story is available at the Internet Archive.
A guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature.
At the same time I was thinking how if the biped humanoid shape is
a good one for medium-size creatures on any planet, why so the spider
shape is a good one for tiny creatures and apt to turn up anywhere
and be copied in robots too.
The top hole in the sixth bubble showed me the stars, while one half
of its rim shone white with sunlight.
The guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being.
Then the number came to me. With the butt of my Swift I rapped out
five. No answer. No scratching either. I rapped out five again.
Then the answer came, ever so faintly. Five knocked back at me.
Six five five—Planck’s Constant, the invariant quantum of energy. Oh,
it should be to the minus 29th power, of course, but I couldn’t think
how to rap that and, besides, the basic integers were all that
mattered. [...]
We each knew the other had a suit and a gun (and a lonely hole?) and
so we knew we were both intelligent and knew math. So why was our
rapping so precious?
He raised his gun—I think to rap out one, to start off pi.
The shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
But I’ll never be sure, for just then there were two violet bursts,
close together, against the fissure wall, quite close to him.
He started to swing the muzzle of his gun toward me. At least I think
he did. He must know violet was the color of my explosions. I know I
thought someone on my side was shooting. And I must have thought he
was going to shoot me—because a violet dagger leaped from my Swift’s
muzzle and I felt its sharp recoil and then there was a violet globe
where he was standing and moments later some fragment twinged lightly
against my chest—a playful ironic tap.
He was blown apart pretty thoroughly, all his constants scattered,
including—I’m sure—Planck’s.
Found with the Google query "year's best" "planck's constant" "science fiction".
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
26
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
24
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
6
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
3
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
4
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
|
show 6 more comments
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Possibly "Moon Duel" (1965) by Fritz Leiber, which appeared in 11th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1967). The story is available at the Internet Archive.
A guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature.
At the same time I was thinking how if the biped humanoid shape is
a good one for medium-size creatures on any planet, why so the spider
shape is a good one for tiny creatures and apt to turn up anywhere
and be copied in robots too.
The top hole in the sixth bubble showed me the stars, while one half
of its rim shone white with sunlight.
The guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being.
Then the number came to me. With the butt of my Swift I rapped out
five. No answer. No scratching either. I rapped out five again.
Then the answer came, ever so faintly. Five knocked back at me.
Six five five—Planck’s Constant, the invariant quantum of energy. Oh,
it should be to the minus 29th power, of course, but I couldn’t think
how to rap that and, besides, the basic integers were all that
mattered. [...]
We each knew the other had a suit and a gun (and a lonely hole?) and
so we knew we were both intelligent and knew math. So why was our
rapping so precious?
He raised his gun—I think to rap out one, to start off pi.
The shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
But I’ll never be sure, for just then there were two violet bursts,
close together, against the fissure wall, quite close to him.
He started to swing the muzzle of his gun toward me. At least I think
he did. He must know violet was the color of my explosions. I know I
thought someone on my side was shooting. And I must have thought he
was going to shoot me—because a violet dagger leaped from my Swift’s
muzzle and I felt its sharp recoil and then there was a violet globe
where he was standing and moments later some fragment twinged lightly
against my chest—a playful ironic tap.
He was blown apart pretty thoroughly, all his constants scattered,
including—I’m sure—Planck’s.
Found with the Google query "year's best" "planck's constant" "science fiction".
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
26
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
24
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
6
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
3
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
4
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
|
show 6 more comments
Possibly "Moon Duel" (1965) by Fritz Leiber, which appeared in 11th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1967). The story is available at the Internet Archive.
A guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature.
At the same time I was thinking how if the biped humanoid shape is
a good one for medium-size creatures on any planet, why so the spider
shape is a good one for tiny creatures and apt to turn up anywhere
and be copied in robots too.
The top hole in the sixth bubble showed me the stars, while one half
of its rim shone white with sunlight.
The guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being.
Then the number came to me. With the butt of my Swift I rapped out
five. No answer. No scratching either. I rapped out five again.
Then the answer came, ever so faintly. Five knocked back at me.
Six five five—Planck’s Constant, the invariant quantum of energy. Oh,
it should be to the minus 29th power, of course, but I couldn’t think
how to rap that and, besides, the basic integers were all that
mattered. [...]
We each knew the other had a suit and a gun (and a lonely hole?) and
so we knew we were both intelligent and knew math. So why was our
rapping so precious?
He raised his gun—I think to rap out one, to start off pi.
The shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
But I’ll never be sure, for just then there were two violet bursts,
close together, against the fissure wall, quite close to him.
He started to swing the muzzle of his gun toward me. At least I think
he did. He must know violet was the color of my explosions. I know I
thought someone on my side was shooting. And I must have thought he
was going to shoot me—because a violet dagger leaped from my Swift’s
muzzle and I felt its sharp recoil and then there was a violet globe
where he was standing and moments later some fragment twinged lightly
against my chest—a playful ironic tap.
He was blown apart pretty thoroughly, all his constants scattered,
including—I’m sure—Planck’s.
Found with the Google query "year's best" "planck's constant" "science fiction".
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
26
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
24
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
6
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
3
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
4
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
|
show 6 more comments
Possibly "Moon Duel" (1965) by Fritz Leiber, which appeared in 11th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1967). The story is available at the Internet Archive.
A guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature.
At the same time I was thinking how if the biped humanoid shape is
a good one for medium-size creatures on any planet, why so the spider
shape is a good one for tiny creatures and apt to turn up anywhere
and be copied in robots too.
The top hole in the sixth bubble showed me the stars, while one half
of its rim shone white with sunlight.
The guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being.
Then the number came to me. With the butt of my Swift I rapped out
five. No answer. No scratching either. I rapped out five again.
Then the answer came, ever so faintly. Five knocked back at me.
Six five five—Planck’s Constant, the invariant quantum of energy. Oh,
it should be to the minus 29th power, of course, but I couldn’t think
how to rap that and, besides, the basic integers were all that
mattered. [...]
We each knew the other had a suit and a gun (and a lonely hole?) and
so we knew we were both intelligent and knew math. So why was our
rapping so precious?
He raised his gun—I think to rap out one, to start off pi.
The shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
But I’ll never be sure, for just then there were two violet bursts,
close together, against the fissure wall, quite close to him.
He started to swing the muzzle of his gun toward me. At least I think
he did. He must know violet was the color of my explosions. I know I
thought someone on my side was shooting. And I must have thought he
was going to shoot me—because a violet dagger leaped from my Swift’s
muzzle and I felt its sharp recoil and then there was a violet globe
where he was standing and moments later some fragment twinged lightly
against my chest—a playful ironic tap.
He was blown apart pretty thoroughly, all his constants scattered,
including—I’m sure—Planck’s.
Found with the Google query "year's best" "planck's constant" "science fiction".
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
Possibly "Moon Duel" (1965) by Fritz Leiber, which appeared in 11th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1967). The story is available at the Internet Archive.
A guy was visiting a small moon and ran into a scary giant spider-like creature.
At the same time I was thinking how if the biped humanoid shape is
a good one for medium-size creatures on any planet, why so the spider
shape is a good one for tiny creatures and apt to turn up anywhere
and be copied in robots too.
The top hole in the sixth bubble showed me the stars, while one half
of its rim shone white with sunlight.
The guy realizes that the creature is tapping out Planck's constant and is an intelligent being.
Then the number came to me. With the butt of my Swift I rapped out
five. No answer. No scratching either. I rapped out five again.
Then the answer came, ever so faintly. Five knocked back at me.
Six five five—Planck’s Constant, the invariant quantum of energy. Oh,
it should be to the minus 29th power, of course, but I couldn’t think
how to rap that and, besides, the basic integers were all that
mattered. [...]
We each knew the other had a suit and a gun (and a lonely hole?) and
so we knew we were both intelligent and knew math. So why was our
rapping so precious?
He raised his gun—I think to rap out one, to start off pi.
The shot he fired, which has circled the tiny moonlet they are on, hits and kills the creature.
But I’ll never be sure, for just then there were two violet bursts,
close together, against the fissure wall, quite close to him.
He started to swing the muzzle of his gun toward me. At least I think
he did. He must know violet was the color of my explosions. I know I
thought someone on my side was shooting. And I must have thought he
was going to shoot me—because a violet dagger leaped from my Swift’s
muzzle and I felt its sharp recoil and then there was a violet globe
where he was standing and moments later some fragment twinged lightly
against my chest—a playful ironic tap.
He was blown apart pretty thoroughly, all his constants scattered,
including—I’m sure—Planck’s.
Found with the Google query "year's best" "planck's constant" "science fiction".
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
answered Jan 13 at 21:31
JenayahJenayah
16.6k485118
16.6k485118
26
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
24
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
6
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
3
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
4
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
|
show 6 more comments
26
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
24
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
6
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
3
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
4
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
26
26
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
Not just an intelligent creature - smart enough to know human units for the Planck constant.
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:36
24
24
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
@Adamant And to use base-10 rather than octal, which would be more natural for a spider-like being, assuming it has eight legs ;)
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:38
6
6
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
Also, he's lucky it didn't know the up-to-date value, which starts 6.626 (or 6.582 if he meant the reduced Planck constant in eV*s)
– Adamant
Jan 13 at 21:40
3
3
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
Microjoule.decaseconds of course
– cryptarch
Jan 13 at 21:50
4
4
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
@Neo Darwin: There is nothing to remember, because measurement inaccuracies do not allow us to determine more than a handful of digits. Pi on the other hand is a mathematical construct, which can be calculated to arbitrary precision.
– M.Herzkamp
Jan 14 at 13:10
|
show 6 more comments
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9
Huh. That would be one heck of a shot.
– B.fox
Jan 13 at 23:28