Message #2209

From: Melinda Green <melinda@superliminal.com>
Subject: Re: [MC4D] MagicTile solving
Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 19:09:33 -0700

Maybe try some of the simple edge turning puzzles that Ed and I have
been having fun with? I enjoy those that do not require any algorithms
beyond a [1,1] commutator. That means that I can do it purely
intuitively and is actually a relaxing activity, probably similar to the
tedious parts of the 120-Cell and other large puzzles. It’s also great
to get a feel for the 3D and 4D spaces in which these manifolds live.
You probably already have about as much of a sense of the 4D cube as one
can have. These puzzles offer similar understandings.

As for your quest for a 4D mechanism, I’m guessing that the difficulties
have something in common with 5D puzzles. That’s because in the 4D cube
puzzle, our activity is analogous to an ant crawling on the surface of a
3D cube but being completely unaware about the volume of stuff under
that skin. What we see in MC4D shows exactly that 3D skin. When I 4D
rotate an object, I can sometimes get a sense that there is a kind of
volume that is being contained by the 3D geometry but I can’t "see"
anything about the 4D volume. You could really use a 5D sensing ability
in order to look into the interior of a 4D object which is what you are
trying to do.

-Melinda

On 5/28/2012 6:31 PM, Ray Zhao wrote:
>
>
> You all make me seriously want to solve some puzzles ^_^, but right
> now I’m more interested in finding better solutions for the 3^4 and
> visualizing a mechanism for it as well. =P
> I also have summatives ;_;