Question

10 dimensions problem


I seem to have problem understanding one thing.. when they explain how a two dimensional object appears to one dimensional creature and how a 3d object might look to 2d creature (flatlander), you are allowing the 1d and 2d creature to have access to time as well... which is our 4th dimension.. !! so we are not looking at pure 1d or 2d creatures but 1d and 2d creatures allowed to have access to 4th dimensions

Answer 1

First: Fourth dimension is not time. It can be anything, so it can be time too.
Second: What makes you conclude that a flatlander has the concept of time?

Answer 2

Fourth dimension is considered to be time now.. its standard in most of the theories,
and flatlander have concept of time cause, they can see different crossections of 3d creature.. as the 3d creature PASS THROUGH THEM, passing through them is an event which requires the access of time

Answer 3

You can't imagine passing through three dimension without having access to time, but they can.

Answer 4

I mean they can pass through without actually knowing where they started from and where they ended.

Answer 5

how is that possible??

Answer 6

More precisely I mean, they can pass through but still can't gain any knowledge about where they started and where they ended

Answer 7

they cannot percieve 3rd dimension.. even though they can be accessing it.. that i understand (the mobia strip example), but since events take place, they can clearly PERCIEVE or have an idea that TIME exists..

Answer 8

for a 2d creature.. having knowledge of time is like we having knowledge of 5th dimension, we cannot imagine the 5th dimension so easily or even percieve for that matter, as easily as how the 2d flat landers UNDERSTAND time

Answer 9

The existence of flatlander is completely as we define them. Its defined as I told you, now you believe it or not, is up to you

Answer 10

we make use of flat landers to enhance our understandings about higher dimensions.. so thats why i was trying to understand this

Answer 11

Whoa whoa whoa. This is all way too existential and stoner-esque, can we clarify a little bit? Spatial dimensions and temporal dimensions are completely different things. When we say an object is a 3d or 2d object, we're talking purely about spatial dimensions.

Answer 12

The number of dimensions is just the number of coordinates you need to specify the location of an event.

Answer 13

if that is the case, then how can we relate the higher dimensions to us, like how the higher spacial dimensions are to the 1d and 2d creatures?.. we try to understand how 3d would look to 2d people. (cross sections) and apply the same logic as we see 3d crossections of our 4d self!

Answer 14

We're only able to imagine what a 3d object might look like to a 2d person because we already know and can visualize three dimensions. We've never seen a 4d object, and though there are reasonably good attempts to visualize what they might look like, we're just not equipped with the tools to imagine it. We can describe n-dimensional space easily with mathematics, but forming a literal picture is not feasible for most of us.