[jnorris235 (OP)]

I'm just having thoughts that are probably daft. But we talk of 3, then 4 dimensions and now of 7 and 11 etc. And yet I remember at school that we had polar coordinates instead of two of them. And I also wonder if it is possibly only in our small region of space that everything is at right angles (space being curved an' all). Anything larger than a football field and right angled triangle don't add up to 180 degrees for instance.

So my thought is that dimensions do not exist in a rigid and axiomatic mathematical way and are merely a construct.

Shall I go away now?

[DoctorBeaver]

Hello, and welcome to TNS.

Dimensions. Oooh, tricky. Well, we know that at least 3 exist beause we can move about in them. General Relativity says there are 4 by adding time to the 3 spatial dimensions we are famiiar with. String theory says 10, and Supergravity has 11.

But what are they? In another thread I gave 1 definition which is that a dimension is a value that enables us to fix an event in spacetime (a more mathematically based definition of a space is "the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify every point within it"). But that is just a mathematical construct, it doesn't really say what dimensions are.

I don't know the answer. When you consider that the compactified dimensions of some theories are so ridiculously small that nothing can exist inside them except gravity, it makes a definition even harder.

[Ethos]

Dimensions; Highth, width, breadth and time; The four dimensions of our easily recognizable universe.

This brings up a question I've had for quite some time now. Physicists will tell you that in space there is no such thing as right or left, only the dimension we call width. If that is so, how do particles know the direction of spin they possess. While traversing thru space, some will spin to the left while others will spin to the right. Something tells me they know right from left.

..................Ethos

[DoctorBeaver]

Something tells me they know right from left

Weak force gauge bosons certainly do as only left-handed ones work.

[Ethos]

Something tells me they know right from left

Weak force gauge bosons certainly do as only left-handed ones work.

Consider the thought experiment this fact raises;

If particles know right from left, starting from a point we can call a place of origin, are there more than three spacial dimensions? Remember the number line in math? Every thing to the right was positive and everything to the left was negative. And because the particle knows right from left, it follows that it also knows forward from backward. And if it knows right, left, forward and backward, will it also know up from down. Consider the spiral course it travels, everyone of these values must be considered for the spiral course to form. Are there really six spacial dimensions?

.....................Ethos

[DoctorBeaver]

No, that doesn't follow. Particles are left or right spin, not up or down spin.

[Don_1]

Are dimensions not a man made means to explain some of the elements of space and time which he cannot understand?

On Earth we can comprehend and explain the spacial dimensions of forward, backward, up, down, left, right and all the variants between. But in space, there is no up or down, neither is there a left and right nor a backward and forward.

Left is only left when viewed from one plane, from the opposite plane, left is right. The hands of a clock move in a 'clockwise' direction, but we only ever observe that clock from our plane, the face. Observe that clock from the opposite plane and the hands will appear to be moving in an 'anticlockwise' direction.

Then surely there can be no backward. Whichever direction you travel in, must be forward. Yes we can retrace our steps, we can even walk backwards, but the end result is that we are somewhere new or revisited, therefore, we have travelled forward.

Our perception of time is one which allows us to put events into an order of happening. A chronological diary and should be considered only as EARTH/MAN TIME, since we place occurrences in an order relative to dates fixed by man.

To my way of thinking, in the universe there are only the dimensions of MASS, which we can translate as weight and density; VOLUME, we can translate as the amount of space occupied by a MASS; NON-MASS VOLUME which we can translate as the empty space between two or more MASSES and TIME. This dimension of TIME is one which we cannot comprehend since it cannot be measured from any particular point, not even the big bang. It is a dimension without confines; it has no start point and no end point. Similarly, the dimension of NON-MASS VOLUME is only comprehendible in respect of its space between MASSES, but its further dimension beyond where MASSES occur is again incomprehensible to man, since like TIME, it has no confines. There is no end to space.

We use words such as 'forever', 'always', 'endless' and 'infinity', we even define the meaning of such words in our dictionaries, yet they describe a notion which is beyond our comprehension.

[LeeE]

Yes, dimensions really do exist.  Dimensions though, are not material in that they do not seem to be made of anything.

Dimensions are not required for something to exist, if that thing is to have no size or it is not to change, but if any change or size is to be permitted then at least one dimension is needed to allow the change from the original to the new state or to accommodate the size.

The simplest solutions only require a single dimension, this being either a temporal dimension for change, or a spatial dimension for size.

Change can be illustrated by defining a number x.  x, regardless of it's numerical value has zero size in space, so spatial dimensions are not required, but if we perform an action on x, for example, by adding two to it, we need the 'before' state to exist somewhere different to the 'after' state.  Without being able to locate the 'after' state somewhere different to the 'before' state, both states would have to be in the same place with the result that x would simultaneously be both x and x+2.

With size, instead of defining a single value we are really defining a range of values, which encompasses every value within the range.  In this case then, instead of needing different places to locate the different 'before' and 'after' states of a single value so that they do not exist simultaneously, we need different places to locate many different values that do exist simultaneously.

[DoctorBeaver]

Dimensions are not required for something to exist, if that thing is to have no size or it is not to change, but if any change or size is to be permitted then at least one dimension is needed to allow the change from the original to the new state or to accommodate the size.

I have a real problem with zero-size "things". How can something with no size exist other than as a mathematical concept?

[LeeE]

Things don't need to be zero-sized in all dimensions for these effects to occur.  For example, how many cubic feet does a 1x1 foot area occupy?  What size are you in the fifth dimension?

[DoctorBeaver]

LeeE - I understand that. I didn't realise that's what you meant. I thought you meant totally zero-size.

[LeeE]

Well, totally zero-sized seems to be possible, in theory, or at least in any theory that can handle n-dimensions where n >= 0.

I'll agree that it's difficult to imagine how something just consisting of an abstract value could actually exist as 'something' but any analysis of something can only end with such an abstract.  Right at the bottom of any analysis that doesn't infinitely regress you end up with something that can only be expressed in terms of itself, at which point it becomes abstract.  For example, what is energy made out of?

[DoctorBeaver]

Yes, but if n=0 then there is nowhere for it to exist except as an abstract concept.

[yor_on]

I love this question:)

I've always wondered what a dimension really is, we have the ability to 'wander' freely as 'living matter'. Only controlled by where our curiosity may take us, and so differentiating us from 'dead matter' like a celestial object. How come? And 'distance' btw, is no longer a thing set in stone. In our Einsteinian universe it seems more of a relation to density, motion, velocity and acceleration.

So what is a definition of 'dimension'. We call those three we see here on our Earth height, width and length, what they really seem to say though is that we seem to be able to move in a 'sphere' like direction, if you see yourself as always being in the middle of that sphere freely choosing a direction. And that movement is also a function of the 'time' we do it in. But then we have the fifth, up to, (?) dimensions. None of them can be observed by us other than mathematically, but there they can 'live' and flourish. Length width and height seems to be interchangeable as descriptions when you think of it, they only help us define where in that larger 'sphere' of spacetime we are/move.

This is very strange to me, let's say that you send away a really fast spaceship, it accelerates up to a velocity near to 'c' in a short 'time'. Now, you are observing it from the Hubble telescope, or from its 'after runner' . This marvelous telescope allows you to follow it at all times to some star 50 lightyears away and back. We know that this ship, from its own frame of reference, will observe 'time' as running 'normally' internally, all biological 'clocks' should work as on Earth f ex. We also know that, seen from our perspective, the 'time' on that ship will 'slow down', and if being on that ship, we will see how the universe's 'time' seems to 'speed up'. That is the 'twin paradox' as I understands it. So 'time' will work to a different standard here, depending on where you are. Will this mean that this ship when observed from our telescope will slow down in space, same as its 'time dimension' will?

As far as I understands it, it won't. When observing we will see it accelerate and go on just as we expected, very fast and soon near that 'c'. It will behave 'normally' motion-wise and we will be able to follow it to 'there' and back to us, without seeing it 'freeze' in space as its 'time dimension' have slowed down relative us. Do you see how I think here?

I'm not discussing anything more than 'time' here btw There are some other phenomena coupled to it, but the important thing is that 'time' here seems to be more than just 'my time' and 'your time'. There is also the relation between those two 'time views' that allows us to observe that ship as behaving 'normally' motion wise. And that to me is very strange. It's like we all have our very own 'time dimension' depending on velocity, acceleration, motion and density and then we have the ability to observe those 'time dimensions' as a 'whole'. That is our spacetime.

Let us say that, as this ship actually will observe a real 'time' differentiation (twin paradox) when it comes back and join our frame of reference, we also would have expected it to 'slow down' when we observed it traveling before. Slowing down as seen from our perspective as the 'time' it will experience will be 'slowed down' as compared to us observing it. But that should give it a longer time of travel from our point of view, right. And then the space faring twin should become older than us. But we know that he is younger, according to relativity? So then, do we have a different way of explaining it? What would happen if we saw that ship to just 'disappear'(?) and then be back, all in a instant. Nah, that won't explain the age difference either, will it So what we actually see is the ship taking off, acting as we expect it while we follow it, but when coming back being 'younger' than us. And at no time have we lost 'contact' with that ship.

And it's not only 'time' that behaves as there was a 'hidden standard'. There is also 'distances' that will become 'shorter' when traveling, as seen from us observing, when we consider the real 'time difference' shown here as we compare the twins journey in time.

So what is a 'dimension'?

[DoctorBeaver]

we have the ability to 'wander' freely as 'living matter'. Only controlled by where our curiosity may take us

Not in North Korea.  []

[yor_on]

Well, can't argue against that DB:)

[Chemistry4me]

Of course dimensions exist!

[DoctorBeaver]

Now you're being silly again. Go to your room!

[Don_1]

Yes, this room:------------------------------------------------ ↓

[DoctorBeaver]

Miss Scarlet did it in BR.2 with the candlestick!