The Magazine Shop. Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe. The Sciences. Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. Sign Up. Already a subscriber? Want more? More From Discover. Recommendations From Our Store. Stay Curious. View our privacy policy. Website Accessibility. We are free to move in forward, reverse, up and down directions.
Fourth Dimension Time Time is considered the fourth dimension. As I just told you that we live in a three dimensional world where we are free to move in any direction in space. But without the fourth dimension i. The time dimension, no events can take place. Without time dimension nothing will change in this world. Time is the way for three dimensions to change. It is the time dimension that allows the objects to change their position and location in space.
Without time, the whole universe will look like a snapshot for ever. As we are living in a three dimensional world, so we have no control on the fourth dimension, the time. We are forced to move only in the forward direction with time. But a person living in four dimensions will be able to go in any direction in time like past or future.
He will have control over the time dimension as he is a person of four dimensions. So these were the first four dimensions that can be perceived by humans. Now We are going to discuss higher dimensions that we can not perceive, although they exist. So let's start with the fifth dimension Fifth Dimension As I just told you that we can not perceive dimensions that are higher than the fourth dimension because they exist on a subatomic level.
These higher dimensions actually deal with the possibilities. But why we cannot perceive higher dimensions. Actually these dimensions are curled in on themselves in a process known as Compactification. But how these higher dimensions are imperceptible. Let me explain it by giving you a simple example.
When we see a rope from large distance, we only observe it's one dimension that is the length. But any insect moving on that rope will also see other dimensions of the rope like its thickness.
It will also observe the fine groves and roughness and circumference of the rope that could not be seen by a distant observer. If a person were living in a world of five dimensions then he would be able to play with time in different ways. He could move either in past or in future.
It would also be possible for him to be present at different locations at the same time. He would be able to do many jobs or can have many hobbies at the same time. He could be a doctor, an engineer, a cricketer, a poet and anything else at the same time, as he has full control over the time dimension. Sixth Dimension Sixth dimension gives more powers to a person living in this dimension. He can not Only move in any direction in time at his will but also can take many forms at the same time just like the quantum world.
We know that the quantum world is the world of probabilities, where particles can be present at different places at the same time and can take different forms. So the sixth dimension gives more flexibility in comparison to the fifth dimension. In The sixth dimension we enter into the world of parallel universes I.
The concept of multiverse. This dimension will allow us to see all possible presents, pasts and futures. But Every Universe present in this multiverse will have the same beginning as that of our universe I. This is the limitation of this dimension. Seventh Dimension This dimension also, includes the concept of parallel universes. Seventh dimension contains infinite number of universes. So a Person living in seven dimensions can move in any universe and can have infinite forms of itself.
The basic difference between the sixth and the seventh dimension is that, the infinite universes in the sixth dimension had the condition that they all must have the same beginning as of ours I.
But the seventh dimension is free from this condition also. We are immediately aware of the three dimensions that surround us on a daily basis — those that define the length, width, and depth of all objects in our universes the x, y, and z axes, respectively. Beyond these three visible dimensions, scientists believe that there may be many more. In fact, the theoretical framework of Superstring Theory posits that the universe exists in ten different dimensions.
These different aspects are what govern the universe, the fundamental forces of nature, and all the elementary particles contained within.
The first dimension , as already noted, is that which gives it length aka. A good description of a one-dimensional object is a straight line, which exists only in terms of length and has no other discernible qualities. Add to it a second dimension , the y-axis or height , and you get an object that becomes a 2-dimensional shape like a square. The third dimension involves depth the z-axis , and gives all objects a sense of area and a cross-section.
The perfect example of this is a cube, which exists in three dimensions and has a length, width, depth, and hence volume. Beyond these three lie the seven dimensions which are not immediately apparent to us, but which can be still be perceived as having a direct effect on the universe and reality as we know it. Scientists believe that the fourth dimension is time, which governs the properties of all known matter at any given point. Along with the three other dimensions, knowing an objects position in time is essential to plotting its position in the universe.
The other dimensions are where the deeper possibilities come into play, and explaining their interaction with the others is where things get particularly tricky for physicists. According to Superstring Theory, the fifth and sixth dimensions are where the notion of possible worlds arises. If we could see on through to the fifth dimension , we would see a world slightly different from our own that would give us a means of measuring the similarity and differences between our world and other possible ones.
In the sixth , we would see a plane of possible worlds, where we could compare and position all the possible universes that start with the same initial conditions as this one i.
In theory, if you could master the fifth and sixth dimension, you could travel back in time or go to different futures. In the seventh dimension , you have access to the possible worlds that start with different initial conditions. Whereas in the fifth and sixth, the initial conditions were the same and subsequent actions were different, here, everything is different from the very beginning of time.
The eighth dimension again gives us a plane of such possible universe histories, each of which begins with different initial conditions and branches out infinitely hence why they are called infinities. In the ninth dimension , we can compare all the possible universe histories, starting with all the different possible laws of physics and initial conditions. In the tenth and final dimension , we arrive at the point in which everything possible and imaginable is covered.
Beyond this, nothing can be imagined by us lowly mortals, which makes it the natural limitation of what we can conceive in terms of dimensions. The existence of these additional six dimensions which we cannot perceive is necessary for String Theory in order for there to be consistency in nature.
The fact that we can perceive only four dimensions of space can be explained by one of two mechanisms: either the extra dimensions are compactified on a very small scale, or else our world may live on a 3-dimensional submanifold corresponding to a brane, on which all known particles besides gravity would be restricted aka. If the extra dimensions are compactified, then the extra six dimensions must be in the form of a Calabi—Yau manifold shown above. While imperceptible as far as our senses are concerned, they would have governed the formation of the universe from the very beginning.
Hence why scientists believe that peering back through time, using telescopes to spot light from the early universe i. Much like other candidates for a grand unifying theory — aka the Theory of Everything TOE — the belief that the universe is made up of ten dimensions or more, depending on which model of string theory you use is an attempt to reconcile the standard model of particle physics with the existence of gravity.
In short, it is an attempt to explain how all known forces within our universe interact, and how other possible universes themselves might work. For additional information, here's an article on Universe Today about parallel universes , and another on a parallel universe scientists thought they found that doesn't actually exist.
There are also some other great resources online. There is a great video that explains the ten dimensions in detail.
0コメント