Flatland: The Romance of Numerous Dimensions (1884) is a classic 19th century short story by Edwin Abbott Abbott, still popular among mathematics and computer science students, and considered utile reading for population researching topics like a conception of more dimensions. As a piece of literature, Flatland is respected for its sarcasm on the social hierarchy of Victorian society.

the story posits the globe that is exclusively inside 2 dimensions, & my teller, a humble square (named A. Square), guides u.s.a. across a bit of of the implications of that. He is visited by the 3-cubic sphere, which he cannot comprehend until he understands a third dimension for himself. the role of women is explained, along by owning a class system, both of which are then the sarcasm of Victorian society at the instance.

In the book, men come portrayed when polygons whose social class is directly proportional to the number of sides it stand; so, triangles, having just 3 sides, come at the bottom of a social ladder, when the Priests come composed of multisided polygonal shape whose shapes approximate a circle, which is considered to be a "perfect" shape. But then, a female people is comprised exclusively of lines, who come compulsory by law to sway back & forth while it hike, due to the fact that when the line is coming towards an observer arounSecond the Two-D globe, it appears simply as a point. The. Square talks of accounts in which men keep close at h& been flushed (each by accident and by choice) by existence stabbed by women. This fact besides explains a require for separate doors for women & men around buildings.

In a globe of Flatland, population come told apart by having the aid of "Fog", which allows an observer to determine a depth of an object. By using this, sides sustaining sharply angles relative to the observer might fade away further speedily than sides that develop additional obtuse angles. A people of Flatland might "evolve" through the Law of Nature and severity, which states: This rule is non a out break whenever treating by using isosceles triangles (Soldiers and Workmen), for their evolution occurs across finally achieving a status of an equilateral triangle, removing them from either serfdom.

It poses many interesting thoughts, including a idea that higher miscreate beings keep close at hand god-prefer powers on top lesser dimensions. In a book, the 3-cubic Sphere has the ability to coulSecond have inches out of the Flatlander & watch the two forgoing existence perceived, might dislodge Two-D objects from either barred containers & "teleport" them via a thir2nd dimension apparently while forgoing traversing a space in between, & is capable of seeing & bouncing on the inside & outside of all about in the Two-D universe; at one point, a Sphere gently pokes the storyteller's intestines as proof of his powers. the book implies that higher dimensions than my have survive, & that a 4D being could have a equivalent powers all all over my globe when a Sphere got over Flatland.

Sequels
Many companions to Flatland develop been written by various authors, including: Sphereland by Dionys Burger (1965) The Planiverse by A. K. Dewdney (1984) Flatterland by Ian Stewart (2001) Spaceland by Rudy Rucker (2002)

Short stories elysian by Flatland include: "Message Found in a Copy of Flatland" by Rudy Rucker (1983)