The Feeling of Power
Encyclopedia
The Feeling of Power is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
. The story first appeared in the February 1958 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction
, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows
, the 1969 retrospective Opus 100
, and the 1986 collection Robot Dreams
. In the introduction to Robot Visions
, Asimov lists this story as one of the notable robot stories.
, including even the rudimentary skill of counting
.
The Terrestrial Federation is at war with Deneb
, and the war is conducted by long-range weapons controlled by computer
s which are expensive and hard to replace. Myron Aub, a low grade Technician, discovers how to reverse-engineer
the principles of pencil-and-paper arithmetic from computers — a development which is later dubbed "Graphitics". The discovery is appropriated by the military
establishment, who use it to re-invent their understanding of mathematics. They also plan to replace their computer-operated ships with lower cost, more expendable (in their opinion) manned ships
to continue the war.
Aub is so upset by the appropriation
of his discovery for military purposes that he commits suicide
. As Aub's funeral proceeds, his supervisor
realizes that even with Aub dead, the advancement of Graphitics is unstoppable. He executes simple multiplication
s in his mind, which gives him a great feeling of power.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. The story first appeared in the February 1958 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction
If (magazine)
If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...
, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows
Nine Tomorrows
Nine Tomorrows is a collection of nine short stories and two pieces of comic verse by Isaac Asimov. The pieces were all originally published in magazines between 1956 and 1958, with the exception of the closing poem, "Rejection Slips", which was original to the collection. The book was first...
, the 1969 retrospective Opus 100
Opus 100
Opus 100 is Isaac Asimov's one hundredth book. It was published by Houghton Mifflin on 16 October 1969. Asimov chose to celebrate the publication of his hundredth book by writing about his previous 99 books, including excerpts from short stories and novels, as well as nonfiction articles and books...
, and the 1986 collection Robot Dreams
Robot Dreams
Robot Dreams is a collection of science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie. The title story is about Susan Calvin's discovery of a robot with rather disturbing dreams. It was written specifically for this volume and inspired by the McQuarrie cover illustration...
. In the introduction to Robot Visions
Robot Visions
Robot Visions is a collection of science fiction short stories and factual essays by Isaac Asimov. Many of the stories are reprinted from other Asimov collections, particularly I, Robot and The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories...
, Asimov lists this story as one of the notable robot stories.
Plot summary
In the distant future, humans live in a computer-aided society and have forgotten the fundamentals of mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, including even the rudimentary skill of counting
Counting
Counting is the action of finding the number of elements of a finite set of objects. The traditional way of counting consists of continually increasing a counter by a unit for every element of the set, in some order, while marking those elements to avoid visiting the same element more than once,...
.
The Terrestrial Federation is at war with Deneb
Deneb
Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle. It is the 19th brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of 1.25. A blue-white supergiant, Deneb is also one of the most luminous nearby stars...
, and the war is conducted by long-range weapons controlled by computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s which are expensive and hard to replace. Myron Aub, a low grade Technician, discovers how to reverse-engineer
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
the principles of pencil-and-paper arithmetic from computers — a development which is later dubbed "Graphitics". The discovery is appropriated by the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
establishment, who use it to re-invent their understanding of mathematics. They also plan to replace their computer-operated ships with lower cost, more expendable (in their opinion) manned ships
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
to continue the war.
Aub is so upset by the appropriation
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
of his discovery for military purposes that he commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. As Aub's funeral proceeds, his supervisor
Supervisor
A supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business...
realizes that even with Aub dead, the advancement of Graphitics is unstoppable. He executes simple multiplication
Multiplication
Multiplication is the mathematical operation of scaling one number by another. It is one of the four basic operations in elementary arithmetic ....
s in his mind, which gives him a great feeling of power.