Tycho crater – where scientists from Earth look, astonished, upon the first evidence of intelligent life off the Earth.

Information presentation from film

The Monoliths are advanced machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species that appear in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series of novels and films. Look up monolith in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links TMA-1. ... Image File history File links TMA-1. ... Image File history File links 2001TMA1printout. ... Image File history File links 2001TMA1printout. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... This article is about devices that perform tasks. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (born 16 December 1917) is a British science-fiction author and inventor, most famous for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for collaborating with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same... Space Odyssey is a science fiction series of two films (by Stanley Kubrick and Peter Hyams) and four novels (by Arthur C. Clarke). ...

During the series, three monoliths are discovered in the solar system by humans and it is revealed that thousands if not more were created throughout the solar system, although none are seen. The subsequent response of the characters to their discovery drives the plot of the series. It also influences the fictional history of the series, particularly by encouraging humankind to progress with technological development and space travel. This article is about the Solar System. ... A fictional universe is an imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction or translatable non-fiction. ... The wheel was invented circa 4000 BC, and has become one of the worlds most famous, and most useful technologies. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ...

The first monolith appears in the beginning of the story, set in prehistoric times. It is discovered by a group of hominids. A monolith is a geological or technological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock. ... Stonehenge, England, erected by Neolithic peoples ca. ... A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), including the extinct and extant humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ...

Nomenclature

The first monolith to be discovered in the modern age was unearthed on the moon near Tycho Crater due to it emitting a powerful magnetic field which was detected and investigated. It was called Tycho Magnetic Anomaly 1 (TMA-1) even before the monolith was discovered. The name stuck even after it was discovered to be an obvious alien artifact. Subsequent to this, a second monolith was soon discovered and called TMA-2. A few centuries in the future, a third monolith was discovered buried on Earth in rocks that were clearly millions of years old and surrounded by primitive human artifacts. This was retro-actively named TMA-0 (as opposed to TMA-3) in reference of the fact it was obviously the first monolith discovered by human ancestors in prehistoric times. Tycho is a prominent lunar impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands. ... Magnetic field lines shown by iron filings In physics, the space surrounding moving electric charges, changing electric fields and magnetic dipoles contains a magnetic field. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ...

The term Tycho magnetic anomaly is something of a misnomer when referring to TMA-0 and TMA-2, as neither were found on the moon and neither emitted a significant magnetic field. This critique was mentioned in the novel 2010: Odyssey Two. In the same novel, the Russian Crew of the spacecraft Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov affectionately and somewhat respectfully refer to TMA-2 as Zagadka (Russian for Secret). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 2010: Odyssey Two, is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke (January 1982) and also a motion picture (1984) by Peter Hyams entitled simply 2010, or sometimes 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ... For other uses, see Crew (disambiguation). ...

Origins

The extraterrestrial species that built the monoliths are never described in much detail but some knowledge of their existence is granted to Dave Bowman after he is transported by the stargate to the 'cosmic zoo', as detailed in the novel versions of 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: Odyssey Two. The existence of this species is only hypothesized by the rest of humanity but is obvious because the monolith is immediately identified as an artifact of non-human origin. David Bowman is a character in the Space Odyssey series. ... In science fiction, Jumpgate (or jump gate) refers to a device that allows fast travel between two points in space. ... A movie poster from the original release of 2001 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is an immensely popular and influential science fiction film and book; the film directed by Stanley Kubrick and the book written by Arthur C. Clarke. ... 2010: Odyssey Two, is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke (January 1982) and also a motion picture (1984) by Peter Hyams entitled simply 2010, or sometimes 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ... Xenoarchaeology is a hypothetical form of archaeology concerned with the physical remains of past (but not necessarily extinct) alien cultures. ...

The extraterrestrial species that built the monoliths achieved space travel millions or perhaps billions of years before the present. They eventually discovered how to convert their physical forms into a non-corporeal form - omniscient, immortal and capable of traveling at great speed. They explored the galaxy with the intent of acquiring knowledge, especially of other intelligent life. Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... For other uses, see Milky Way (disambiguation). ... Intelligent Life is an upmarket magazine launched by the editors of The Economist in 2004. ...

While they discovered that life was very common, they observed that intelligent life was often stunted in its development or died out prematurely and so they set about promoting it. When they encountered a living world that was favourable for the evolution of intelligence, they left behind monoliths as remote observers that were also capable of taking a variety of actions according to the wishes of their creators. The monoliths are possibly the last remaining (and ultimate) technology they ever devised. One such planet, encountered when it was still quite young, was the Earth, as well as (later) Jupiter and Europa. The aliens left behind three monoliths to observe and enact a very intricate plan to promote the human race (and later the nascent Europans) to pursue technology and space travel. This article is about Earth as a planet. ... For other uses, see Jupiter (disambiguation). ... Europa is the name of : Europe, the continent, in most European languages (most Germanic languages, Latin and some Romance languages, and some Slavic Languages) Europa (mythology), a beautiful Phoenician princess in Greek mythology Europa (moon), the smallest of the Galilean moons of planet Jupiter Europa, a small island in the...

Appearance and Capabilities

All the monoliths are black, slightly reflective cuboids whose dimensions are in the precise ratio 1:4:9 (the squares of the first three integers). These dimensions are the main source of debate regarding the monoliths' simple external design. It is suggested that this number series does not stop at three dimensions, presumably also extending into the fourth dimension. What is meant by this is not clear. In anatomy, the cuboid bone is a bone in the foot. ... A ratio is a quantity that denotes the proportional amount or magnitude of one quantity relative to another. ... The integers consist of the positive natural numbers (1, 2, 3, …) the negative natural numbers (−1, −2, −3, ...) and the number zero. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The monoliths are observed in two different sizes - TMA-0 and TMA-1 are both exactly (and somewhat coincidentally) 11 feet long and TMA-2 is many kilometres long on the longest axis. They may be able to assume any size, for in 2010: Odyssey Two, the starchild, David Bowman, cryptically notes that the monolith is actually one size - as large as necessary. Whether this means that monoliths appear in other sizes or can change size is not clear. Keir Dullea as David Bowman. ...

They are obviously extremely long lived and reliable machines, being able to survive for millions of years buried in the ground or resisting meteorite impacts and radiation in space, with no apparent damage. The two monoliths recovered and examined by humans reveals them to be virtually indestructible and impenetrable, resisting all attempts to analyze their composition or internal structure right up to the end of the series. It is suggested by Dr. Heywood Floyd that they possess some sort of force field, an impression he gets from touching it and much later accepted as most probable because the monoliths resist destructive testing beyond the theoretical limits of material strength. However, they are not completely indestructible - TMA-2 suffers damage from a blast caused by a giant meteorite of solid diamond impacting Europa in 2061: Odyssey Three. In 3001: Final Odyssey, all three monoliths known to mankind are destroyed simply by giving them a computer virus. Artists impression of a major impact event. ... Radiation as used in physics, is energy in the form of waves or moving subatomic particles. ... Dr. Heywood R. Floyd is a fictional character in the Space Odyssey series by Arthur C. Clarke. ... In general physics, a force field is a vector field representing the gradient of a potential. ... In destructive testing, tests are carried out to the specimen’s failure. ... Willamette Meteorite A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ... This article is about the mineral. ... 2061: Odyssey Three (1987) is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, and is the third book in the Space Odyssey series. ... A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. ...

While it is unclear what the composition of the monoliths are, they clearly have mass, about the only observation that can be made. In 2010, the Leonov mission measured the mass of TMA-2 and reported a density slightly higher than air (presumably at a standard temperature and pressure). This leads to loose speculation that it may be hollow. The masses of TMA-0 and TMA-1 are never revealed. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Look up air in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Temperature and air pressure can vary from one place to another on the Earth, and can also vary in the same place with time. ...

Among the more dramatic functions of the monoliths are the ability to teleport and self replicate. In 2001, TMA-2 opens a stargate which permits Dave Bowman to travel across the galaxy at faster-than-light speeds and with tremendous accelerations. Since Bowman did not actually choose to enter the stargate, TMA-2 presumably also possesses some ability to remotely manipulate objects or matter (see tractor beam). Teleportation is the movement of objects or elementary particles from one place to another, more or less instantaneously, without traveling through space. ... A simple form of machine self-replication The concept of self-replicating machines has been most notably advanced and examined by, Homer Jacobsen, Edward F. Moore, Freeman Dyson, John von Neumann and in more recent times notably K. Eric Drexler in his seminal book on nanotechnology, Engines of Creation. ... Faster-than-light (also superluminal or FTL) communications and travel are staples of the science fiction genre. ... A tractor beam is a hypothetical device with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance. ...

In 2010 and again in 3001, TMA-2 is observed to teleport itself (disappear and reappear elsewhere). TMA-0 may also have suddenly appeared in this manner shortly before being discovered by human ancestors for the first time.

TMA-2 is observed to self-replicate by a form of symmetrical binary fission and grow expoentially to thousands or millions of units in just a few hours. In 2010, the many units act to increase the density of the planet Jupiter until stellar ignition is achieved, converting it into a miniature star. The exact mechanism with which it achieves this is not revealed, but is speculated to be fusion of lighter elements into heavier ones. The monolith may thus be capable of nucleosynthesis, as well as obviously being a tool in stellar engineering. In 3001, millions of copies ofTMA-2 are observed to assemble themselves into two megastructure disks that attempt to block the sun from Earth and its human colonies in the Jovian system in an attempt to cause the extinction of humanity. Binary fission Binary fission is the form of asexual reproduction in single-celled organisms by which one cell divides into two cells of the same size, used by most prokaryotes. ... In mathematics, exponential growth (or geometric growth) occurs when the growth rate of a function is always proportional to the functions current size. ... Stellar ignition, or star ignition, is the initiation of the nuclear fusion reactions that power the Sun and other stars. ... The deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reaction is considered the most promising for producing fusion power. ... Nucleosynthesis is the process of creating new atomic nuclei from preexisting nucleons (protons and neutrons). ... Stellar engineering is the practice of creating or modifying stars through artificial means. ... A megastructure, in science fiction and speculative (or exploratory) engineering, is an enormous self-supporting artificial construct. ...

The monoliths are clearly described in the novels as being controlled by some sort of computer. While this is presumably very advanced, the monoliths are clearly not sentient artificial intelligences. They are not capable of decision-making and only follow instructions or programming fed to them by their creators. In 2061, the non-corporeal entity Halman, together with the newly-created entity of the bodily-deceased Heywood Floyd, are essentially downloaded and stored as programs in the 'matrix' of TMA-2, currently observing and shielding the Europans from human interference. This article is about the machine. ... Sentience is the capacity for basic consciousness -- the ability to feel or perceive, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. ... AI, see Ai. ...

TMA-1 and TMA-2 are observed to produce powerful, directional radio transmissions. TMA-2 is observed, in the 2100s, to direct a radio transmission towards a star system about 450 light years distant. It is thus likely to be an interstellar transmitter, possibly part of a network of such nodes scattered throughout the galaxy by which the creators of the monoliths send and receive information. Only TMA-1 demonstrates the ability to generate a strong magnetic field around itself, for which the three artefacts are named. In communications, transmission is the act of transmitting electrical messages (and the associated phenonomena of radiant energy that pass through media). ... A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ... Look up network, networking in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Node may mean: Node (botany), the place on a plant stem where a leaf is attached Node (physics), a spatial locus along a standing wave where the wave has minimal amplitude Node (networking), a device connected to a network, such as a computer or router Node (computer science), a basic...

In general, the monoliths are efficient general purpose tools at the disposal of their creators who use them in pursuit of their agenda to promote intelligent life.

Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-1

Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-1 (also known as TMA-1) refers to the apparent magnetic irregularity found at the Tycho crater on the Moon's surface by American astronauts. The anomaly is caused by another monolith buried 40 feet under the lunar surface; when exposed, it was found to be a black cuboid whose sides measured in the precise ratio 1:4:9 (1²:2²:3²). In the book it is indicated that this ratio extends past the three spatial dimensions we are familiar with. Tycho is a prominent lunar impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... Astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit outside the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. ... In anatomy, the cuboid bone is a bone in the foot. ... 2-dimensional renderings (ie. ...

Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-2

An identical (except in size) object was found later, orbiting Jupiter (on a moon of Saturn in the book, although this was changed to Jupiter in the sequel book, 2010: Odyssey Two). This object was dubbed "TMA-2", a term that the book calls "doubly inappropriate": it had no magnetic field and was millions of miles from Tycho (TMA-2 was often referred to as "big brother" due to David Bowman's comments on it, and its paradoxical appearance inside the isolated bedchamber at the foot of Bowman's deathbed). For other uses, see Jupiter (disambiguation). ... This article is about the planet. ... For other uses, see Sequel (disambiguation). ... 2010: Odyssey Two, is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke (January 1982) and also a motion picture (1984) by Peter Hyams entitled simply 2010, or sometimes 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ... Keir Dullea as David Bowman. ...

Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-0

By the year 3001, the first Monolith to be encountered by mankind's prehistoric evolutionary predecessors was found in Africa buried in ancient rock, and was retroactively dubbed "TMA-0". In 3001: The Final Odyssey, HAL and Bowman destroy TMA-2 with a computer virus after it is learned that its superiors are sending an order to kill humanity. 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997) is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, fourth and final book in the Space Odyssey series. ...

References in popular culture

A monolith is placed by the UFO to promote a primitive species to sapience in Spore.

The Monolith was a prominent feature in the Marvel Comics universe for a short time, appearing in the 2001: A Space Odyssey comics and then in Machine Man's latest series in issues #11-12. There it is revealed that The Monolith had a direct connection to The Celestials, as it was created by them. The Monolith also appeared in Marvel's Reality X Sagas as both a transport device and the catalyst for Machine Man's transformation. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Spore is a multiplatform god game under development by Maxis and designed by Will Wright that allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its existence as a multicellular organism to a spacefaring sapient creature. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... This article is about the shared universe setting used by many Marvel Comics titles. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Machine Man (X-51) is a fictional character created by writer/artist Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics. ...

A monolith (with a circular hole near the top) performs the same function - stimulating sapience in a species - in Will Wright's video game Sim Earth, and later used also in Spore. Wright stated explicitly it was inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey in numerous conferences. For other persons of the same name, see Will Wright. ... “Computer and video games” redirects here. ... SimEarth Screenshot SimEarth: The Living Planet is a simulation computer game designed by Will Wright and published in 1990 by Maxis, in which the player controls the development of an entire planet. ... Spore is a multiplatform god game under development by Maxis and designed by Will Wright that allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its existence as a multicellular organism to a spacefaring sapient creature. ...

In the final episode of the Comedy Central run of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Dr. Clayton Forrester re-enacts one of the final scenes of 2001 when he dies in bed of old age as a monolith sits at the foot of his bed - a giant VHS video tape marked "Worst Movie Ever Made". A series finale is the very last installment of a television series, usually a sitcom or drama. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ... Trace Beaulieu as Dr. Clayton Forrester (left) and Frank Conniff as TVs Frank). ... Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard. ... The video cassette recorder (or VCR, less popularly video tape recorder) is a type of video tape recorder that uses removable cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. ...

In the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willie Wonka transmits a giant bar of chocolate into a television set. When displayed on screen, the bar is shown standing up, surrounded by ape-men pounding about. Not to be confused with the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. ...

In The Simpsons episode Lisa's Pony, an ape resembling Homer Simpson snoozes against the Monolith, as the other apes discover tool-making in a parody of "The Dawn of Man" sequence in 2001. Simpsons redirects here. ... Lisas Pony is episode eight of the The Simpsons third season, which aired on November 7, 1991. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ...

In the Futurama episode Put Your Head On My Shoulder there is an "Out Of Order" Monolith orbiting Jupiter in one scene. This article is about the television series. ... Put Your Head on My Shoulder is episode seven in season two of Futurama. ...

In the third episode of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Sashi encounters a small monolith and briefly parodies the beginning scene involving prehistoric man. Original run April 4, 2002 – June 27, 2002 Episodes 13 Manga Author Kenji Tsuruta Publisher Kodansha Serialized in Afternoon Original run March 2002 – August 2002 Volumes 2 Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi ) is an award-winning anime TV series created by Gainax studios. ...

In the game Duke Nukem 3D episode 2 and level 8 (The Dark Side) near the end of the level stands a Monolith in a room with creepy music similar to that in the movie, and is used to teleport you. Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by Apogee Software. ...

In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, the members of the organization Seele are represented by holographic black monoliths that can appear as though out of nowhere, like the Monolith. Original run October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996 No. ...

In the webcomic Real Life, the strip regulars (at that time) find the "Tahoe Magnetic Anomaly" while skiing. [1] After finding it, they decide to turn it into a coffee table, which then shows up many times later in the strip. [2] Real Life is a webcomic drawn and authored by Greg Dean. ... A coffee table is a style of long, low table which is designed to be placed in front of a couch, to support beverages (hence the name), magazines, books (especially coffee table books), and other small items to be used while sitting. ...

Namesake

In the late 1980s, Apple Inc. bought a Cray supercomputer to model experimental processor designs. The machine was installed and set up. A company-wide contest was held to choose a name for the machine: the winning suggestion was TMA-1. ^{[citation needed]} Apple Inc. ... For alternate meanings, see Cray (disambiguation). ... A supercomputer is a computer that led the world (or was close to doing so) in terms of processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation, at the time of its introduction. ...