“There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition.” -Rod Serling
If we take a look at a two-dimensional surface, it’s pretty apparent that we’re pretty omnipotent in comparison. We can draw or erase anything in that dimension, add or remove objects, rearrange their internal structures without leaving them any defense, etc. All of that might lead you to wonder whether there’s the possibility of a fourth spatial dimension out there, and whether that could be part of our Universe?
The four-dimensional analogue of a 3D cube is an 8-cell (left); the 24-cell (right) has no 3D analogue. Extra dimensions bring with them extra possibilities. Image credit: Jason Hise with Maya and Macromedia Fireworks.
Geometrically, it’s certainly possible. From a historical perspective, there’s no reason a dimension needs to stay the same size over time, either. In 1980, Alan Chodos and Steve Detweiler showed that a Universe that began with four spatial dimensions could have easily evolved into a Universe very much like the one we see today. Building on that, it would be possible for a very small extra dimension to grow large over time. If it did, the consequences would be devastating, but fascinating.
A computer-generated rendering of a rubble-pile asteroid and a debris field of surrounding rubble. Based on a 3-D model of asteroid Itokawa by Doug Ellison, and with data from NASA-JPL. Image credit: Kevin Gill/flickr.
Come find out the full story of what it would mean if the Universe grew an extra dimension!
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2peA9ZJ
“There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition.” -Rod Serling
If we take a look at a two-dimensional surface, it’s pretty apparent that we’re pretty omnipotent in comparison. We can draw or erase anything in that dimension, add or remove objects, rearrange their internal structures without leaving them any defense, etc. All of that might lead you to wonder whether there’s the possibility of a fourth spatial dimension out there, and whether that could be part of our Universe?
The four-dimensional analogue of a 3D cube is an 8-cell (left); the 24-cell (right) has no 3D analogue. Extra dimensions bring with them extra possibilities. Image credit: Jason Hise with Maya and Macromedia Fireworks.
Geometrically, it’s certainly possible. From a historical perspective, there’s no reason a dimension needs to stay the same size over time, either. In 1980, Alan Chodos and Steve Detweiler showed that a Universe that began with four spatial dimensions could have easily evolved into a Universe very much like the one we see today. Building on that, it would be possible for a very small extra dimension to grow large over time. If it did, the consequences would be devastating, but fascinating.
A computer-generated rendering of a rubble-pile asteroid and a debris field of surrounding rubble. Based on a 3-D model of asteroid Itokawa by Doug Ellison, and with data from NASA-JPL. Image credit: Kevin Gill/flickr.
Come find out the full story of what it would mean if the Universe grew an extra dimension!
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2peA9ZJ
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