INVISIBILITY 33
storing and processing all the information. Finally, one would need to
project this image onto a screen so that the image looks realistic.
INVISIBILITY VIA THE FOURTH
DIMENSION
We should also mention that an even more sophisticated way of becoming invisible was mentioned by H. G. Wells in The Invisible Man,
and it involved using the power of the fourth dimension. (Later in the
book I will discuss in more detail the possible existence of higher dimensions.) Could we perhaps leave our three-dimensional universe
and hover over it from the vantage point of a fourth dimension? Like a
three-dimensional butterfly hovering over a two-dimensional sheet of
paper, we would be invisible to anyone living in the universe below us.
One problem with this idea is that higher dimensions have not yet
been proven to exist. Moreover, a hypothetical journey to a higher dimension would require energies far beyond anything attainable with
our current technology. As a viable way to achieve invisibility, this
method is clearly beyond our knowledge and ability today.
Given the enormous strides made so far in achieving invisibility, it
clearly qualifies as a Class I impossibility. Within the next few decades,
or at least within this century, a form of invisibility may become commonplace.
storing and processing all the information. Finally, one would need to
project this image onto a screen so that the image looks realistic.
INVISIBILITY VIA THE FOURTH
DIMENSION
We should also mention that an even more sophisticated way of becoming invisible was mentioned by H. G. Wells in The Invisible Man,
and it involved using the power of the fourth dimension. (Later in the
book I will discuss in more detail the possible existence of higher dimensions.) Could we perhaps leave our three-dimensional universe
and hover over it from the vantage point of a fourth dimension? Like a
three-dimensional butterfly hovering over a two-dimensional sheet of
paper, we would be invisible to anyone living in the universe below us.
One problem with this idea is that higher dimensions have not yet
been proven to exist. Moreover, a hypothetical journey to a higher dimension would require energies far beyond anything attainable with
our current technology. As a viable way to achieve invisibility, this
method is clearly beyond our knowledge and ability today.
Given the enormous strides made so far in achieving invisibility, it
clearly qualifies as a Class I impossibility. Within the next few decades,
or at least within this century, a form of invisibility may become commonplace.