The Fourth Dimension

audiobook

The Fourth Dimension

by Charles Howard Hinton

EN·~7 hours·20 chapters

Chapters

20 total

Transcriber’s Notes

0:14

SOME OPINIONS OF THE PRESS

2:50

THE FOURTH DIMENSION

0:16

PREFACE

2:51

CHAPTER I FOUR-DIMENSIONAL SPACE

7:40

CHAPTER II THE ANALOGY OF A PLANE WORLD

15:23

CHAPTER III THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A FOUR-DIMENSIONAL EXISTENCE

14:38

CHAPTER IV THE FIRST CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF FOUR SPACE

31:17

CHAPTER V THE SECOND CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF FOUR SPACE

30:29

CHAPTER VI THE HIGHER WORLD

26:13

Description

In this early‑twentieth‑century exploration, the author tackles the puzzling idea of a spatial dimension beyond the three we experience. He deliberately sidesteps heavy equations, guiding the reader through analogies, visual illustrations, and everyday reasoning so that even those without a mathematical background can follow the argument. The opening chapters set the stage by contrasting ordinary, “permeable” space with the abstract spaces of geometry, inviting the mind to picture how a fourth direction might intersect our familiar world. Along the way, the writer connects the notion to familiar topics—from perspective in art to the way we think about time—making the subject feel both concrete and thought‑provoking.

Later sections expand the discussion with clear examples that demonstrate how objects would appear if they possessed an extra dimension, and what consequences that would have for motion and perception. The tone remains conversational, peppered with historical remarks and occasional humor, which keeps the material lively despite its abstract nature. Listeners who enjoy mental exercises will find the book a satisfying blend of philosophy, science, and imaginative speculation.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~7 hours (420K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Original publisher

United Kingdom: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. Limited, 1906.

Credits

Chris Curnow, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Release date

2022-01-13

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Charles Howard Hinton

Charles Howard Hinton

1853–1907

Best known for his mind-bending writings on the fourth dimension, this Victorian mathematician mixed science, philosophy, and early speculative fiction in a way that still feels surprisingly modern. His work helped popularize ideas like the tesseract and invited readers to imagine space in entirely new ways.

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