We can recreate a 3-dimensional picture on a 2-dimensional surface. Why can’t we visualize a 4-dimensional world in a 3-dimensional area?

Question

We can recreate a 3-dimensional picture on a 2-dimensional surface. Why can’t we visualize a 4-dimensional world in a 3-dimensional area?

In: 21

Answer 1

We *can* visualise a 4-(spatial-)dimensional world in a 3-dimensional area. There are several games and other media that attempt to do so. The problem is 1) it’s difficult to make sense of what’s happening because our brains have evolved to only understand 3 spatial dimensions, and 2) we haven’t observed a 4th spatial dimension in reality, so all our depictions of it are completely made up.

At best we can look at how a 2D medium can be used to represent a 3D object (eg. a drawing of a cube on paper), the way that 2D projection changes as the object rotates in 3 dimensions etc, and try to extrapolate that behaviour into a 4D object. There can be a little maths and logic involved. But ultimately a 4th spatial dimensions doesn’t appear to exist, we have no idea how one would work if it did exist, so this is just an exercise in creativity.