为了更清楚地了解这门新学科,打算先从四维空间谈起。生活在三维空间(指长宽高)的人们往往难以“想像”出第四个独立方向。但只要再多思考一下,就会意识到,这第四个独立方向并非神密得不可思议。事实上,有一个我们几乎每天都在用的字眼,它可以表示,而且也的确就是物理世界的第四个独立方向,这就是“时间”。时间经常和空间一起被用来描绘我们周围发生的事件。当我们说到宇宙间发生的任何事情时,不只说出它发生在何处,还要说出发生在何时。因此,除表示空间位置的三个方向要素之外,又增添了一个要素——时间。实质上,所有客观事物都是 In order to understand this new discipline more clearly, we intend to start with the four-dimensional space. People living in three dimensions often have difficulty in “imagining” the fourth, independent direction. But as long as you think about it again, you will realize that this fourth independent direction is not mysteriously mysterious. In fact, there is a wording we use almost daily, it can be said, and indeed it is the fourth independent direction of the physical world. This is “time.” Time is often used with space to depict events around us. When we talk about everything that happens in the universe, we say not only where it happened, but also when it happened. Therefore, in addition to the three directional elements that represent the location of the space, an additional element-time is added. In essence, all objective things are