What's the evidence for the existence of higher dimensions?
By Engineer Saviour - Blaze Labs
In physics, the inverse square law relation is quite common. This relation is valid for the gravitational attraction between matter, for the electrical forces between charges and for magnetic forces between moving charges. A force that varies with the square of the distance means that the force will increase with the square of the distance if we reduce the distance, and it will decrease with the square of the distance if we increase the distance.

Electromagnetic energy decreases as if it were dispersed over the area of an expanding sphere, 4π R2 where radius R is the distance the energy has travelled. The amount of energy received at a point on that 3D sphere diminishes as 1/R2. This clearly shows the origin of the inverse-square law.
Here is a table showing the volume and surface area of hyperspheres of different dimensions:
|
Dimension (n)
|
Shape
|
Volume
|
Surface Area
|
|
2
|
circle
|
π r2
|
2πr
|
|
3
|
sphere
|
(4/3)π r3
|
4πr2
|
|
4
|
4-sphere
|
(1/2)π2 r4
|
2π2 r3
|
|
5
|
5-sphere
|
(8/15)π2 r5
|
(8/3)π2 r4
|
|
6
|
6-sphere
|
(1/6)π3 r6
|
π3 r5
|
|
7
|
7-sphere
|
(16/105)π3 r7
|
(16/15)π3 r6
|
As a result, a force that varies with the square of the distance can be considered as a conventional 1-dimensional force vector (x-axis) that is scattered into 2 additional dimensions (y, z) due to the 3-dimensional nature of space. The square power of the distance indicates the projection of such a force over a 3D spherical surface area. But what happens if the force is also acting in higher order dimensions? What if the force is originating force is being projected on a higher dimensional surface area? Are there forces which vary to other powers than the inverse square law?

The Casimir force related by the above equation is known to vary as the inverse d4, which is two orders of dimensions higher than the more common forces, and coincides with a force projected over the surface area of a 5D hypersphere (see table above). Such force that varies with the fourth power of the distance can be thus considered as a force vector that is scattered in a 5-dimensional space. Therefore, it is evident that the field that originates the Casimir force is a 5-dimensional field, that it is in fact a hyperspace field that produces the corresponding effects in our restricted 3D vision of our universe.
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is it possible the missing dimentions needed for so much of the current theorys are simply being over looked?
we have out 3 planes (dimentions) to discribe an objects given position at any infinitly small period of time. we only have one time dimension? why? 3 make scence to me. just as just having one axis would let you know how long something is and nothing else. surely more time axis would allow you to know how much time there is in a given area of space time (i understand that this can very) also the idea of traveling sideways in time always makes scence to me.
ok. energy you can messure it is it a dimension? it seems that a particales energy affects so much it should be, and if so only one energy dimension or can there be more?
direction? everything in the universe is moving, i understand that velocity and speed are not true dimensions as they are calculations based on the other dimensions. but to properly discribe something direction would beem inportant. ok not got a full mental grasp on that one but it feals right,
oh and "spin" or direction of movement reletive to self. or whatever you want to call it. seems increasingly important in string theory and the like,
so cummon on tell me what a jerk i am. but more importantly. tell me why im wrong.
the universal observer. does he see every possibe variation of time ( in science fiction terms, is there really a whole bunch of universes whare every posibility is played out) and he simply sees them all as one thing with no distinction. or does he just see a static universe with no varioation along our 4th demension. meaning the future is set and nothing we do changes anything in the long run. it would explain why we can only persave time running in one direction. if everything is set but kinda makes existance pointless. from my point of view lol
As for three dimensions of time existing, no one is saying that they don't, however we as observers are unable to perceive of more than one. The simple reason why three dimensions of time aren't universally accepted is that they are not needed to explain what we can observe. Scientists like using the theory of Occum's Razor, that the simplest solutions tend to be the correct solutions. (pardon me if I mis-spelled the theory's name or mis-quoted it in its entirety, but I do believe that is the gist of it)
The concept of adding dimensions came about to simplify the mathematics (or rather to make the mathematics work in the first place) to describe all of the forces that we can perceive. In order to fully understand the reasoning behind this you would have to understand tensor mathematics, which is far to large a subject to discuss here, but there are many books on multi-dimensional space that may be able to explain it in more detail.
Technically, dimensions are just ways to describe something, so technically the number can be infinite: length, width, depth, color, energy, mass, sound, etc... could all be labeled as dimensions, but the dimensions that are being discussed by all of these theories actually are the minimum number of dimensions to fully describe the existence of a thing. Many of the dimensions I listed above can be derived from other dimensions, and therefore are not part of the minimum set. This may be hard to grasp, but remember that color and sound are both simple interpretations of vibrations, which are nothing more than movement of 3D things.
The reasoning behind the 11 or 13 or 26 dimensions that some theories use vary by the theory, but are usually based on part of the mathematics being stable (for lack of a better term) when that number of dimensions are used. In other words, that number of dimensions are theorized because it makes the math work correctly. As of yet, I don't believe anyone has found an observable effect that requires x dimensions to work, but theories that accurately describe observable effects require x dimensions to not contradict themselves.
:)
But the but about the universal observer is the bit i need explaining.
If he sees all of the univese, all of our future as simply one of his observable dimensions. is time irrevocably fixed. can we afect it?
if not existance kinda becomes pointless.
and in my own understanding the oly difference between a
3d hollow sphere and it's corresponding 4d one is that the latter is solid (consisting of infinitew frames varying in sizes between null and the max volume that of the 3d sphere)
another stupid question ... sorry again
the question of what qualifies as a dimension needs to be answered.
to me a dimension issomething which can be used to measure anything in the universe, but also can messure the universe itself.
so length width depth and time work.
energy? everything in the universe has it or is it. and the universe itself is a finite amount of it. gota count hasent it?
again. spin. every particle seems to spinn. as does every galaxy and possibly the universe itself.
any others?
whos with me? who is against me? why?
If I remembered all that correctly, then they said two of the planes on these membranes rippled and touched together at different times, causing the big bang (ripples make it so matter spreads randomly, not one solid connection, but a series of them).
After all this they said that the universe didn't push everything away from that, but made infinite space inside the 11th dimension, where there it was taking no space.
Is it possible that those 3d membranes could be 3d objects that simply touched with enough energy to spring into a universe? Can we do this by simply touching 3d objects (ie membranes) together? If these "new" universes take up no space in our universe but make infinite space somewhere else, how do we know it happened?
Sorry for the length and if I sound confusing wording, I just want to know if I'm sprouting a new universe everytime I'm touching something. :)
it is that we are using (not only mathematical) models with any possible number of "dimensions" trying to give some abstract (simplified) view on reality, that stands the test of verification and validation.
However, any model involving +3 dimensions is (for most people) hard to imagine, as with an increase in dimensions involved it get's more and more difficult to unambiguously visualize given information, especially the interrelation of dimensions (more precisely: actual values of model instances) with regard to any phenomenon (with a real correspondence or merely theoretical) that we might consider.
what if WE are the universal observer. and there are dimensions bellow what we term at 1d which just as if they were above us. we just cant wrap our brains round em.
now imagine the ones we see as 1 2 3 and 4(t) are actually 8 9 10 and 11(t) time being the 11th dimension. not the forth. the other 7 are bellow what we se as 1 dimensional. and thus just as obscure to us as if they were higher.
that would make us the universal observer.?
whould it affect much else. also if time were the highest dimension, and our 3 dimensions the higher 3, we couldent see the other 7 and more then you can "see" a quark.
makes sence to me
The other dimensions are mathematical constructs which may or may not be accurate representations of reality.
I get what your saying. just trying to try a change of perspective.
personaly I oft find thinking about a question in a different way helpes move me forwards.
though they are mathmatical constracts. so much of everyday life uses technology which may be afficted by these issues.
i heard talk of cpu's whare the electrical pathways are an atom apart. and an atom wide. what wouls happen a atom (or particle) appeared bettween to paths. or out of one....
so to say it doesnt necessarily represent reality may be so. but we need to make it fit.
A normal CPU won't work at that atomic scale. They are reaching that limit though which means newer methods of making processors are needed.
With such a small barrier, a phenomenon known as quantum tunnelling would occur. In a normal CPU this would just cause problems. There are now several types of quantum computers being worked on which can utilize this effect.
There is also a material used in sensors known a QTC (quantum tunnelling compound) which uses this odd quantum behaviour)
read one theory which says they are oposite ends of a wave... whares the rest of it then? and what when 3 or more particles are entangled
the exciting thing for me is the thought that if you could think of high state = 1 low state =0 then you could have manned missions to space enjoying instantanious communications with earth however far away they go. subspace indeed lol