Entering the Fourth Dimension: The Importance of Reflection

By Ethan Gilsdorf

We all intuitively sense the reality of our three-dimensional world: Length, width, and depth. These qualities give all things in space their heft, weight, presence.

But theoretical physicists suppose we exist beyond this holy trinity. “It’s not enough to know where an object is in terms of three spatial coordinates,” says one engineering writer. “You also need to know when the object was where.”

Consider the three dimensions of most writing—the sensory and concrete...