I get the latitude, longitude, and they added time. But what was the fourth dimension? Or third rather, because the post assumption is that time was the fourth added.
The lat and lon are actually 3d since we live, up to a first approximation, on the surface of a sphere. The correct way to think about it is xyz in a reference frame anchored in the center of the Earth
Even with altitude, you still need time. The Earth moves around the Sun, the Sun around the galactic center, all at hundreds of km/s. Without a timestamp, lat/long/alt just tells you where something was, not where it is. Time was never optional.
Hmm I thought that, but we don't really live in a 3D world (or use the altitude parameter in a very meaningful way in life) so I wondered whether there's something else I was missing.
I wonder what makes you belittle the altitude dimension? Buildings have storys, humans can sit and stand, birds can fly, your eyes can move up and down your monitor.
I think the closest thing to the fourth dimension in this context is money. If used correctly, it alters ones experience meaningfully by altering what's in one's proximity.
For example, I could be living in a polluted region, but if I have sufficient money, I can ensure the air I breathe indoors is very clean and comfortable via aggressive filtration and air conditioning. I could also ensure I live by the water or near sufficient greenery.
Same is true for humans too. About their personality. Constantly changing and you will never meet the same person twice in that sense.
Every geography has a timestamp.
I get the latitude, longitude, and they added time. But what was the fourth dimension? Or third rather, because the post assumption is that time was the fourth added.
The lat and lon are actually 3d since we live, up to a first approximation, on the surface of a sphere. The correct way to think about it is xyz in a reference frame anchored in the center of the Earth
Altitude is the third dimension, but I presume you knew that.
"Geography is three dimensional" doesn't correctly communicate the time dimension.
Even with altitude, you still need time. The Earth moves around the Sun, the Sun around the galactic center, all at hundreds of km/s. Without a timestamp, lat/long/alt just tells you where something was, not where it is. Time was never optional.
Hmm I thought that, but we don't really live in a 3D world (or use the altitude parameter in a very meaningful way in life) so I wondered whether there's something else I was missing.
I wonder what makes you belittle the altitude dimension? Buildings have storys, humans can sit and stand, birds can fly, your eyes can move up and down your monitor.
I think the closest thing to the fourth dimension in this context is money. If used correctly, it alters ones experience meaningfully by altering what's in one's proximity.
For example, I could be living in a polluted region, but if I have sufficient money, I can ensure the air I breathe indoors is very clean and comfortable via aggressive filtration and air conditioning. I could also ensure I live by the water or near sufficient greenery.
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”