Scientific Romances (First Series)Hinton, Charles Howard
Philosophy
Scientific Romances (First Series)
Hinton, Charles Howard
Fourth dimension
Suppose, then, that the sheet were to grow bigger and bigger till it
filled out reaching through the whole world and cutting the globe in
two. Then let all the earth be removed except a thin layer on one side
of this enlarged sheet of paper. This thin layer will be the only
portion of matter left. And such a thin layer will represent a plane
world. The force of gravity must be conceived as remaining, but as
coming from a large and thin disk.
Now to keep this thin layer on the paper it would be necessary to have
some force acting sideways, so as to keep the particles to the paper.
And the paper itself may be conceived to exercise such a force: it is
many particles thick, while the thin layer of matter is only one
particle thick, and thus it will keep the layer of matter, which covers
one side of it, in its place by virtue of its own attraction.
We suppose that the paper exerts an attractive force which keeps the
thin layer of matter to it. This attractive force is not felt by the
sentient beings on the paper, nor does it influence the movements of the
particles of matter amongst themselves. We also suppose another
attractive force proceeding from particle to particle of the matter on
the plane. This would be felt by the beings and produce movements of
matter.
Thus the conception of a plane world necessarily involves that of
something on which it is.
A Plane World.
Where the sun’s rays grazing the earth in January pass off and merge
into darkness lies a strange world.
’Tis a vast bubble blown in a substance something like glass, but harder
far and untransparent.
And just as a bubble blown by us consists of a distended film, so this
bubble, vast beyond comparison, consists of a film distended and
coherent.
On its surface in the course of ages has fallen a thin layer of space
dust, and so smooth is this surface that the dust slips over it to and
fro and forms densities and clusters as its own attractions and
movements determine.
The dust is kept on the polished surface by the attraction of the vast
film; but, except for that, it moves on it freely in every direction.
And here and there are condensations wherein have fallen together
numbers of these floating masses, and where the dust condensing for ages
has formed vast disks.
And these disks are glowing hot—yet no light comes from them into our
universe.
For this world lies beyond the æther—far beyond. And however hot or
glowing the masses are, if there is no medium to transmit the vibrations
of heat the influence cannot travel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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