But how do we interpret these images? In his introduction, Thomas Banchoff points out that there is no better way to begin exploring the problem of understanding higher-dimensional slicing phenomena than reading this classic novel of the Victorian era. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 satirical novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott. We can now manipulate objects in four dimensions and observe their three-dimensional slices tumbling on the computer screen. Classic of science (and mathematical) fiction - charmingly illustrated by the author - describes the adventures of A. This field, which literally makes higher dimensions seeable, has aroused a new interest in visualization. A romance in many dimensions that has fascinated generations of readers with its clever blend of social satire and mathematical theory A Penguin Classic A work that continues to pose provocative questions about perception and reality, Flatland is a brilliant parody of Victorian society where all existence is limited to length and breadthits inhabitants unable even to imagine a third. By imagining the contact of beings from different dimensions, the author fully exploited the power of the analogy between the limitations of humans and those of his two-dimensional characters.Ī first-rate fictional guide to the concept of multiple dimensions of space, the book will also appeal to those who are interested in computer graphics. Since then Flatland has fascinated generations of readers, becoming a perennial science-fiction favorite. In 1884, Edwin Abbott Abbott wrote a mathematical adventure set in a two-dimensional plane world, populated by a hierarchical society of regular geometrical figures-who think and speak and have all too human emotions.
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