Машина часу
Chapter 1
Butsomephilosophicalpeoplehavebeenaskingwhythreedimensionsparticularly—whynotanotherdirectionatrightanglestotheotherthree? —andhaveeventriedtoconstructaFour-Dimensiongeometry. ProfessorSimonNewcombwasexpoundingthistotheNewYorkMathematicalSocietyonlyamonthorsoago. Youknowhowonaflatsurface,whichhasonlytwodimensions,wecanrepresentafigureofathree-dimensionalsolid,andsimilarlytheythinkthatbymodelsoftheedimensionstheycouldrepresentoneoffour—iftheycouldmastertheperspectiveofthething. See?’
‘Ithinkso,’murmuredtheProvincialMayor; and,knittinghisbrows,helapsedintoanintrospectivestate,hislipsmovingasonewhorepeatsmysticwords. ‘Yes,IthinkIseeitnow,’hesaidaftersometime,brighteninginaquitetransitorymanner.
‘Well,IdonotmindtellingyouIhavebeenatworkuponthisgeometryofFourDimensionsforsometime. Someofmyresultsarecurious. Forinstance,hereisaportraitofamanateightyearsold,anotheratfifteen,anotheratseventeen,anotherattwenty-three,andsoon. Alltheseareevidentlysections,asitwere,Three-DimensionalrepresentationsofhisFour-Dimensionedbeing,whichisafixedandunalterablething.
‘Scientificpeople,’proceededtheTimeTraveller,afterthepauserequiredfortheproperassimilationofthis,‘knowverywellthatTimeisonlyakindofSpace. Hereisapopularscientificdiagram,aweatherrecord. ThislineItracewithmyfingershowsthemovementofthebarometer. Yesterdayitwassohigh,yesterdaynightitfell,thenthismorningitroseagain,andsogentlyupwardtohere. SurelythemercurydidnottracethislineinanyofthedimensionsofSpacegenerallyrecognized?
