| "The Cold Equations" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Tom Godwin | |
| Genre(s) | science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Astounding |
| Publication type | magazine |
| Publication date | August 1954 |
"The Cold Equations" is a science fiction short story by American writer Tom Godwin (1915–1980), first published in Astounding Magazine in August 1954. In 1970, the Science Fiction Writers of America selected it as one of the best science-fiction short stories published before 1965, and it was therefore included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964. It has been widely anthologized and dramatized.