Abstract
Abstract Figure 11.1 shows a magic square in three dimensions, a sculpture by Patric Ireland in Eaton Fine Art Gallery, West Palm Beach, Florida [100]. It is a 3 × 3 square. The numbers are indicated by counting the numbers of blocks in each column and dividing by two. Hold your breath! Here we go, leaping into the fourth and higher dimensions of space. But don’t worry, we will approach them gradually, one dimension at a time. In early times, artists showed three-dimensional space in two dimensions, but their paintings looked flat. Following the invention of perspective by Brunelleschi and its publication in the book On Painting by Alberti in 1435, the technique was acquired by artists and allowed them to give their work the appearance of depth while still painting on flat, two-dimensional surfaces (Figure 11.2). Although we cannot visualize in our minds anything beyond three dimensions, mathematicians have been able to work in higher dimensions, and Einstein in his theory of relativity, referred to time as the fourth dimension.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call