I went to a local shop and looked at clocks and watches for a while last week. During that time, I saw an antique watch in pieces. It was beautiful. And then I realized there was no battery in the mix. I had forgotten a time when watches were spring propelled. We wound them. It brought back memories of taking a minute to gently rotate the knob on the side of the watch case back and forth between my thumb and index finger. Such a soothing moment in time.
Of course, I then began to ponder time. You can't ponder time without getting into an explanation of the fourth dimension - which is time. It got complicated really quickly.
To explain, we begin with a point.
A point has no sides, no dimension. It only indicates an imaginary idea - a position in a system. A second point will indicate a different position, but it too has no sides or dimension.
The first dimension
When two points are joined - a line is formed. The object is now in the first dimension. It has length, but no width or depth.
The second dimension
If another line is across the first line, the object enters the second dimension. It has length and a width, but still no depth.
The third dimension
If we take a two-dimensional object, like a piece of paper and roll it to form a tube, it is now a three-dimensional object. We actually fold the object through and into the third dimension. An object in the third dimension has length, width and now depth.
WE can see the first three dimensions - the line, the plane and the roll (cube), but not the fourth.
The fourth dimension
The fourth dimension can be described as duration, or time. If we stand in one place and then move to another place, we have jumped from the third dimension to the fourth.
So there you have it! Of course there are many dimensions - like 10 or 11. It's fascinating stuff. On one level I totally get it after watching a video 20 times. On another...uh yeah sure!
Pondering Time - 12 x 12 mixed media framed out in a floater frame • $350
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