Visualizing Four Dimensions
Someone prays to God, then Satan, for the power to visualize four dimensions, and gets a four-pixel image and a 4-tuple of coordinates.
Content note: God/Satan framing.
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Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2025-06-30-visualizing-four-dimensions/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] A: "Dear God, please grant me the ability to visualize four dimensions." ZAP. A (holding a 2×2 pixel grid): "What the…?" God: "PIXELS ARE DIMENSIONS. They are not. YOU'RE WELCOME"
[2] A: "Dear Satan, I'll trade my soul for the ability to visualize four dimensions." ZAP. A (holding a paper: (w, x, y, z) ∈ ℝ⁴): "OH C'MON" Satan: "notation is a form of visualization, pal"