clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org

SATAN AND PERPENDICULAR WORLDS 55
a b c
Figure 3.1 (a) A 0-D point cuts a 1-D line into two pieces, (b) A 1-D line cuts a
2-D plane into two pieces, (c) A 2-D plane cuts a 3-D space into two pieces. By
analogy, our 3-D space would cut a 4-D hyperspace into two pieces.
She punches you in the arm. "You idiot. Keep your eyes on the road
and drive carefully!"
You nod. "Okay, let me explain what I wrote on the card. Let's start in
low dimensions and work up. Think of a point sitting on a 1-D line.
Notice how the point cuts the line in two" (Fig. 3.1).
"Remember, we call the point zero-dimensional because there are zero
degrees of freedom. If you lived in such a world, you could not move.
Similarly, a 1-D line cuts a 2-D plane into two pieces."
Sally adjusts her seatbelt as you turn down Pennsylvania Avenue. "I
can see where this is heading. A 2-D plane cuts a 3-D space into two
pieces." On the card, she sketches an upper space and a lower space
divided by a plane.
"Correct. And a 3-D space cuts a 4-D hyperspace into two pieces. In
general, an w-dimensional space cuts an (n + l)-dimensional space in
half. For our discussion, I'll refer to the two regions of hyperspace, separated
by the 3-D space, as located in the upsilon and delta directions.
The words 'upsilon' and 'delta' can be used more or less like the words up
and down. To cement the terms in your mind, think of Heaven as lying a
mile in the upsilon direction, and Hell residing a mile in the delta direction.
Of course, you can't see either living in our 3-D world."
You pull your car up to the northeast gate of the White House where
you note the flashing lights of police cars. Despite your curiosity, you
continue your lecture to make sure Sally has a firmer grasp on the fourth
dimension. "Some religions suggest that Satan is the devil, the fallen