Imagining the 4th Dimension
Sunday, November 25, 2012
I woke up this morning, remembering my rather heavy thoughts I had the past night. As I was bathing, I started to think about higher dimensions and all, and I thought, to a being possibly existing in a higher dimension, we're as insignificant as it gets.
Consider a hypothetical 2-dimensional being, with only length and width but no depth. Let's call this dude the Flatman. Now, Flatman exists only in 2-dimensions. But what does that mean? For a creature like him, he can only travel on a plane. It's impossible for him to move in our 3-dimensional world with depth. Let's say Flatman lives on a flat ring, i.e. a strip of paper taped together at both ends. Sure, the Flatman can travel to and fro anywhere in that circular strip of paper, but its impossible for him to jump from one end of the ring to the other.
Consequently, this Flatman also cannot perceive the depth dimension since he's infinitely flat, he has no idea what depth is. If he had eyes, his line of sight would be a slit infinitely flat (since he's flat).
So what's the whole point of this thought experiment about this 2-dimensional being all about? Well simple, we can easily extrapolate this into higher dimensions.
Take for example us 3-dimensional beings, we exist in an environment with length, width, and depth which we can travel in. We call these 3 dimensions spatial dimensions as it governs the space we move in. Similarly, the Flatman calls the 2 dimensions he exists in 'spatial dimensions', but the idea of the 3rd dimension, depth is abstract to him.
Now, let us bring in the 4th dimension. The 4th dimension to us is an abstract idea, but if were to extrapolate this to a 4-dimensional being, it's probably just another spatial dimension to them. So what could the 4th dimension be? Well, it could easily be considered to be space-time. Not space, not time, but space-time. Why? Let's go back to 2 dimensions again first. Our 3-dimensional world is simply made of an infinite number of 2D planes. That's how depth is created. Likewise, the 4th dimension is made up of an infinitely many slices of the 3D universe - Each instance of time in our 3D world is a slice of the 4th dimension.
I hope you see where this is going, because to a 4D being, he is clearly capable of travelling to and fro in all coordinates of his 4D universe and consequently, he becomes a creature that is omnipresent, a la he is not bound by time in one direction like all of us are. For a creature like him, he must see our fleeting 3D lives as so insignificant and so small. In fact to him, he can go revisit your birth if he so wishes since he can freely traverse through all 4 dimensions he is in.
Which finally brings me to my point. Even after we die and disappear from this world and be forgotten, in the greater scheme of things we are already a permanent fixure in this 4 dimensional universe. Although we do just exist the spacetime coordinates of our location in the universe (Earth) and whatever year we were born till whatever year we die.
Amazing but abstract eh? God probably exists in a much higher dimension than 4D though, since He is also omnipresent along with his omniscience and eternal.
That being said though, I still cherish and love all that has been given to me in this day. My family, friends, and my lifestyle, my health, all these I hold dear as being unique and precious to me. || posted by Kuan Hui
Consider a hypothetical 2-dimensional being, with only length and width but no depth. Let's call this dude the Flatman. Now, Flatman exists only in 2-dimensions. But what does that mean? For a creature like him, he can only travel on a plane. It's impossible for him to move in our 3-dimensional world with depth. Let's say Flatman lives on a flat ring, i.e. a strip of paper taped together at both ends. Sure, the Flatman can travel to and fro anywhere in that circular strip of paper, but its impossible for him to jump from one end of the ring to the other.
Consequently, this Flatman also cannot perceive the depth dimension since he's infinitely flat, he has no idea what depth is. If he had eyes, his line of sight would be a slit infinitely flat (since he's flat).
So what's the whole point of this thought experiment about this 2-dimensional being all about? Well simple, we can easily extrapolate this into higher dimensions.
Take for example us 3-dimensional beings, we exist in an environment with length, width, and depth which we can travel in. We call these 3 dimensions spatial dimensions as it governs the space we move in. Similarly, the Flatman calls the 2 dimensions he exists in 'spatial dimensions', but the idea of the 3rd dimension, depth is abstract to him.
Now, let us bring in the 4th dimension. The 4th dimension to us is an abstract idea, but if were to extrapolate this to a 4-dimensional being, it's probably just another spatial dimension to them. So what could the 4th dimension be? Well, it could easily be considered to be space-time. Not space, not time, but space-time. Why? Let's go back to 2 dimensions again first. Our 3-dimensional world is simply made of an infinite number of 2D planes. That's how depth is created. Likewise, the 4th dimension is made up of an infinitely many slices of the 3D universe - Each instance of time in our 3D world is a slice of the 4th dimension.
I hope you see where this is going, because to a 4D being, he is clearly capable of travelling to and fro in all coordinates of his 4D universe and consequently, he becomes a creature that is omnipresent, a la he is not bound by time in one direction like all of us are. For a creature like him, he must see our fleeting 3D lives as so insignificant and so small. In fact to him, he can go revisit your birth if he so wishes since he can freely traverse through all 4 dimensions he is in.
Which finally brings me to my point. Even after we die and disappear from this world and be forgotten, in the greater scheme of things we are already a permanent fixure in this 4 dimensional universe. Although we do just exist the spacetime coordinates of our location in the universe (Earth) and whatever year we were born till whatever year we die.
Amazing but abstract eh? God probably exists in a much higher dimension than 4D though, since He is also omnipresent along with his omniscience and eternal.
That being said though, I still cherish and love all that has been given to me in this day. My family, friends, and my lifestyle, my health, all these I hold dear as being unique and precious to me. || posted by Kuan Hui
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