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It is accepted universally that water has its cleansing properties, hence water is commonly used for bathing. Apart from water, people also use milk, oil or other liquid to bath.

Bath is the “process of soaking the body in water or some other aqueous matter such as mud, steam, or milk. The bath may have cleanliness or curative purposes, and it can have religious, mystical, or some other meaning”
Source: bath. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 16, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9013737

“Water cleans the body, and by extension, purifies it. These two main qualities confer a highly symbolic – even sacred – status to water. Water is therefore a key element in ceremonies and religious rites. As such, water is often used in religious rituals, as it symbolizes cleanliness and purity. Not only does water wash away external signs of dirtiness, in many cultures, it also erases spiritual difficulties. Through contact with or immersion in water, believers can cleanse themselves of wrong-doing, or simply rid themselves of signs of the secular world, and prepare themselves to enter the religious and spiritual realm.”
Source: Water and World Views: Water, religions and beliefs, last accessed 16 January 2007.

Books on water and its uses

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Water: our Precious Resource by Roy A. Gallant.
Publisher: New York: Benchmark Books, 2003.
Call No.: Y English 553.7 GAL
“An in-depth look at Earth’s waters and mankind’s uses of water throughout history which includes ideas about planning better use of this critical resource in the future.”

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World of Water: Essential to Life by Rona Arato.
New York, N.Y.: Crabtree Pub. Co., c2005.
Call No: J English 551.48 ARA
“Discusses the importance of water, water resources, and how to keep it clean for future generations.”

Answered by Marhama Mohd, Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

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Kids ASK! about Science & Technology

Let us first address the question of dimension. When you speak of dimension and travel, you are talking about the 4th dimension. The first three dimensions are space-related dimensions. To put it simply

Dimension 1: A line, for example the circumference of a circle
Dimension 2: Area, for example the space inside the circle
Dimension 3: Volume, everything inside a sphere or a ball
Dimension 4: Time

Therefore, what you are talking about when you say traveling to another dimension is a actually a movement through BOTH time and space. Let us rephrase the question – is it possible to travel through time and space?
Despite what movies suggest, no time machine has been successfully created but there are many ideas as to how one can be created and whether it is even possible at all. Some people think it is impossible because it does not make sense. For example, if a boy travels backwards in time and accidentally lends on his grandfather when the grandfather is still a boy and kills his grandfather in the process, he cannot possibly exist because his father would then never have been born. From this you can see that the idea of time travel is a very complicated one. The only way around it is to imagine multiple universes running parallel (in other words running side by side) to the one we are in and in each would be the same world with the different possibilities happening.

Confused? Let me draw it out…

Universe 1: Grandfather lives –> Father is born –> Boy is born
Universe 2: Grandfather lives –> Father dies young –> Boy does not exist
Universe 3: Grandfather dies young –> Father does not exist –> Boy does not exist

In other words, when you speak of dimension, you could be speaking of multiple universes BUT we do not know for sure if there really are multiple universes. Some people think that the key to understanding the universe is to understand time. To find out more, try reading:

Time by Robert Snedden.
Publisher: London: Belitha Press, 1994.
Call No.: Y English 529 SNE
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Time and the Universe by Mary and John Gribbin; illustrated by Nick Dewar.
Publisher: London: Hodder Children’s Books, 1997.
Call No.: Y English 523.1 GRI
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Cosmic journeys: A Beginner’s Guide to Space and Time Travel by Sarah Angliss.
Publisher: Brookfield, Conn.: Copper Beech Books, 1998.
Call No.: Y English 629.41 ANG
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Reference:
Curious About Astronomy
Last accessed: 16 January 2007

However, do remember that these “answers” are only guesses. Scientists do not even know for sure how big the universe is so as to whether there are really multiple universes remains something that still needs to be discovered.

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