The Trinity Doctrine: Help me out, Christians

[polymath257]

It's actually not that hard. Just as a three-dimensional object casts a two-dimensional shadow, a four-dimensional object will cast a three-dimensional one.

This video is quite long, but much of it is just presentation as it's a lecture given at the Royal Institution, and the speaker is very engaging.





Now, this is the sort of thing that is actually meant by the usual throwaway buzzwords like 'dimensions' (and the other bastardised term 'energy'). Appealing to real scientific concepts to impart layers of mystery to folktales only creates more of the very questions it's meant to deflect.

I just can't imagine that 4th dimension. It's also hard to wrap my head around black holes, infinity, etc. There is a lot we don't know and can't fully comprehend about the universe, but that is expected. So it is with God.

Here:

two dimensions: (x,y)

three dimensions: (x,y,z)

four dimensions: (x,y,z,w)

eight dimensions: (x,y,z,w,s,t,u,v)

distance in two dimensions: sqrt{ (x-x')^2 +(y-y')^2 }

distance in three dimensions: sqrt{ (x-x')^2 +(y-y')^2 +(z-z')^2 }

distance in four dimensions: sqrt{ (x-x')^2 +(y-y')^2 +(z-z')^2 +(w-w')^2 }

distance in eight dimensions: sqrt{ (x-x')^2 +(y-y')^2 +(z-z')^2 +(w-w')^2 +(s-s')^2 +(t-t')^2 +(u-u')^2 +(v-v')^2 }

A one-dimensional line in two dimensions: y=ax+b

A two-dimensional plane in three dimensions: z=ax+by+c

A three dimensional 'hyper-plane' in four dimensions: w=ax+by+cz+d

A seven dimensional 'hyper-plane' in eight dimensions: v=ax+by+cz+dw+es+ft+gu+h.

Things generalize pretty easily as you go up: just add more variables.