THE FOURTH DIMENSION SIMPLY EXPLAINED

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XVI. THE MIND'S EYE AND THE FOURTH DIMENSION. BY "RAJARAM" (CHARLES JOHNSTON, NEW YORK, N. Y.)
A straight line has length, but neither breadth nor height. It is a figure of one dimension or direction. A flat or plane surface has length and breadth, but not height. It is a figure of two dimensions or directions. A solid body, like a cube, has length, breadth and height. It is a figure of three dimensions or directions. Line, surface, solid, represent one, two, three dimension.

Figures 2 and 3
If we could take an additional step, we should have a fourth dimension. In what direction should we look for the fourth dimension? Let us see: Draw a straight line (Fig. 1). Mark off one inch. This gives a figure of one dimension (length). It is bounded by two points. On this line as base draw a square (Fig. 2). It has two dimensions (length and breadth). The new dimension is obtained by drawing a line at right angles to the first direction. The square is bounded by four
Page 183 straight lines; the two-dimensional figure is bounded by four one-dimensional figures. It has four extreme points, corners.

From another point of view, the square is formed by moving the line sideways (at right angles to itself) for a distance equal to its length.

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