yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Mirrors And The Fourth Dimension


less than 1m read
·Nov 10, 2024

Mirrors do not show us a fourth dimension, but they do show us what a fourth dimension could do to us. First, notice that some things are the same as their mirror image, but some things are not. These two shapes are similar, but they cannot be rotated to look identical, to be superimposable on each other. This is called being chiral.

A chiral shape and its mirror image are called anatomorphs. These two shapes are anatomorphs in two dimensions. No amount of two-dimensional rotations will ever make them superimposable. To do that, I'll need to smash one of them inside out, turn it into its own mirror image, or rotate it in a third, higher dimension.

If I place a sticker here and face that side away from me, notice that the mirror inverts the object, just like a rotation through a higher dimension. The side of the real object that's furthest from me becomes the side of the virtual object that's closest to me. So, what would I look like if I was rotated around a plane in a fourth spatial dimension and then brought back? I would look like that.

More Articles

View All
How to recognize relative and absolute maxima and minima | Functions | Algebra I | Khan Academy
We’re asked to mark all the relative extremum points in the graph below. So pause the video and see if you can have a go at that. Just try to maybe look at the screen and in your head see if you can identify the relative extrema. So now let’s do this tog…
Helium 101 | National Geographic
[Narrator] Most people know helium as the lighter than air gas that fills our party balloons. But more importantly, it’s an irreplaceable element for science and industry. Helium was discovered in 1868 during a solar eclipse. Astronomers observed a yellow…
Is America Actually Metric?
I’m here at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and I’m about to see some of the original kilogram standards. Patrick: You are, you are. When were these made? Well, the originals were made in the 1880s. There were 40 of them that were b…
Ray Dalio Bets BIG on GOLD
This video is sponsored by Stake. Download the Stake app today and use the referral code AWC to receive a free stock when you fund your account. Details in the description. Ray Dalio has always been a pretty big believer in holding at least a little bit …
New Zealand's Stunning Landscapes | National Geographic
First thing you’re struck by is the landscape, like it’s absolutely stunning the entire way. The landscape changes so quickly from one amazing vista to the next. As a photographer, like you can’t really ask for anything else. There’s a lot of inspiring pl…
Extremophiles 101 | National Geographic
[Narrator] Intense heat, freezing cold, high acidity, and radioactivity. These harsh environments don’t seem hospitable for life, but some organisms not only survive but thrive under such extreme conditions. The name extremophile means extreme lover. Th…