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.

Introduction to residuals and least-squares regression | AP Statistics | Khan Academy

How To Retire In 10 Years (Starting With $0)

View All

Comparative roles of women in Rome and Han China | World History | Khan Academy

I’m here with Iman L. Sheikh, Khan Academy’s World History fellow, and the question I have, Iman, is: history often focuses on men, but clearly women were playing a significant role. How much can we know about women, say, 2,000 years ago? When we talk ab…

How to Get Everything Done in a Day

Do you have something you need to be doing right now but are avoiding like the Plague? Maybe you have a lot of stuff you need to do but you just keep putting it off, and you distract yourself from the discomfort of even thinking about it? Have you ever th…

How to not sell a private jet!

I’ve got a good friend of mine, client of here. He’s looking for 6500. He wants it off market, preferably. He wants a 2020 play and onwards. Talk to somebody who’s talking to somebody who’s talking to somebody; that just never works. The problem is, it’s…

Heaven on Earth | The Story of God

NARRATOR: The Hindu god Vishnu is the protector of creation, and Angkor Wat was built for him. Inside the temple are over 12,000 square feet of intricately carved reliefs. One relief was created to link King Suryavarman II to Vishnu himself. Look, you can…

Opiates and Pangolin Scales is Rumor Debunked | National Geographic

(upbeat music) [Rachel] Pangolins are a really unique group of mammals. They are covered with these scales that are made of keratin, which is the same material as human finger nails. And it’s those scales that are in high demand, and it’s driving a lot o…

This Worm Uses a "Silly String of Death" | National Geographic

[Music] In the rainforest, one sharpshooter is in search of its next target. Meet the velvet worm, a nearly blind creature with an impressive weapon. The worm is sensitive to air currents caused by movements and uses this to hunt. The velvet worm moves …

Mirrors And The Fourth Dimension

More Articles