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.

Visualizing the COVID-19 Tragedy - 360 | National Geographic

LearnStorm Growth Mindset: Dr. Michael Merzenich on growing your brain

View All

All Trump Advices From The Apprentice For Success

I’ve always felt location is important, but the people behind the deal are much more important than a location. I’d much rather have a really smart, talented guy doing a deal in a not-so-good location than an idiot doing a deal in a great location because…

Using Religion As A Tool | Bin Laden’s Hard Drive

MAN: It’s impossible to understand Bin Laden without reference to his religious beliefs. This was a guy who, when he was a teenager, was praying seven times a day, fasting twice a week. On the other hand, he was also a mass murderer. What was his relation…

The Fermi Paradox II — Solutions and Ideas – Where Are All The Aliens?

There are probably 10,000 stars for every grain of sand on Earth, in the observable universe. We know that there might be trillions of planets. So where are all the aliens? This is the Fermi Paradox. If you want to know more about it, watch part one. Here…

Elon Musk Pleads "Vote Like Your Life Depends on It!" and Speaks on Why He Became Politically Active

The Jogan experience, and, uh, it’s meant to be you’re roasting the president. Like Trump’s just there, he’s like, actually, you know, just, he’s like there as part of the support. And then they turned it around and just started roasting Trump, and he’s j…

Are you a good person?

[Music] The Purge movie franchise portrays a world where citizens of the United States get to rid themselves of all evil by listening and subjecting their actions to their most carnal desires within a 12-hour window. During this time, all criminal activit…

Bluefin Adrenaline | Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks

T, we’re on brother! Got him! Oh, we’re on! That’s the one! Let’s go to work, baby! Let’s go to work! So stoked, man! Oh yeah, brother! Yeah buddy, got them on! We can catch this fish! Southern boats are going to have to start looking out for the pin whee…

Mirrors And The Fourth Dimension

More Articles