Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Friday, June 5th, 2015 | Books
What a novel! Written in 1884, Flatland explores the idea of a 2D and 1D universe and the maths surrounding that, in an engaging and humorous way. It follows the life of the protagonist, a square, as he describes his world and visits others.
How does a 2D world look for example? You can only see in one dimension so how do you tell the difference between different shapes when everything looks like a line? What challenges does that present for society? For building design? For interacting with other people?
The same issues occur when the square visits lineland, a one dimensional universe. As well as the difficulties of trying to explain another dimension to those who live in said worlds. Upwards, not northwards!
What a novel! Written in 1884, Flatland explores the idea of a 2D and 1D universe and the maths surrounding that, in an engaging and humorous way. It follows the life of the protagonist, a square, as he describes his world and visits others.
How does a 2D world look for example? You can only see in one dimension so how do you tell the difference between different shapes when everything looks like a line? What challenges does that present for society? For building design? For interacting with other people?
The same issues occur when the square visits lineland, a one dimensional universe. As well as the difficulties of trying to explain another dimension to those who live in said worlds. Upwards, not northwards!