On models for visualizing four-dimensional figures (Q2400832)

Solid figures in three-dimensional space have fascinated mathematicians since the antiquity -- one of the most notably results is the classification of the Platonic solids, the proof of which can be found in Euclid's \textit{Elements}. It was just until the nineteenth century that mathematicians started to study geometric objects in higher-dimensional spaces rigorously, in particular in dimension four. The author describes, in a very pleasant way, the most important moments in this history. The first classification of four-dimensional solid figures was made by the American mathematician \textit{W. J. Stringham} in his doctoral thesis (1879), which was published a year later in the 3rd volume of the American Journal of Mathematics [JFM 12.0405.01]. He proved that there are exactly six regular four-dimensional polytopes. After that, a more general approach was taken by \textit{V. Schlegel} who developed a method for projecting figures in four dimensions to the three-dimensional space [JFM 15.0463.01; JFM 16.0471.01; JFM 18.0453.01]. For instance, the Schlegel diagram of a four-dimensional hypercube consists of a cube with seven cubes inside. These projections allow not just to study its geometric properties but also to construct physical models of them, which are undoubtedly very helpful and furthermore were very popular at the time. Finally, the author explains the contributions of Alicia Boole-Stott in four-dimensional geometry.