Scientific Romances (First Series)Hinton, Charles Howard
Philosophy
Scientific Romances (First Series)
Hinton, Charles Howard
Fourth dimension
Conceive, then, corresponding to the first sheet of paper mentioned
above, a solid, and as the sheet of paper was supposed to be infinitely
extended in two dimensions, suppose the solid to be infinitely extended
in its three dimensions, so that it fills the whole of space as we know
it.
Now divide this infinite solid in two parts by an infinite plane, as the
infinite plane of paper was divided in two parts by an infinite line. A
being cannot pass from one part of this infinite solid to another, on
the other side of this infinite plane, without going through the
infinite plane, _so long as he keeps within the infinite solid_.
But suppose beside this infinite solid a second infinite solid, lying
next to it in the fourth dimension, as the second infinite plane of
paper was next to the first infinite plane in the third dimension. Let
now the being that wants to get on the other side of the dividing plane
move off in the fourth dimension, and enter the second infinite solid.
In this second solid there is no dividing plane. Let him now move, so
that coming back to the first infinite solid he shall be on the other
side of the infinite plane that divides it into two portions. If this is
done, he will now be on the other side of the infinite plane, without
having gone through it.
In a similar way a being, able to move in four dimensions, could get out
of a closed box without going through the sides, for he could move off
in the fourth dimension, and then move about, so that when he came back
he would be outside the box.
Is there anything in the world as we know it, which would indicate the
possibility of there being an existence in four dimensions? No definite
answer can be returned to this question. But it may be of some interest
to point out that there are certain facts which might be read by the
light of the fourth dimensional theory.
To make this clear, let us suppose that space is really four
dimensional, and that the three-dimensional space we know is, in this
ampler space, like a surface is in our space.
We should then be in this ampler space like beings confined to the
surface of a plane would be in ours. Let us suppose that just as in our
space there are centres of attraction whose influence radiates out in
every direction, so in this ampler space there are centres of attraction
whose influence radiates out in every direction. Is there anything to be
observed in nature which would correspond to the effect of a centre of
attraction lying out of our space, and acting on all the matter in it?
The effect of such a centre of attraction would not be to produce motion
in any known direction, because it does not lie off in any known
direction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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