Is time a dimension?

Question

is time a dimension for extraterrestrial livings?

Answer 1

yes, time is a dimension accross the entire universe, although it might not be measured in the same units (ie, "one second" might have no meaning to an alien, just as their version of one minute might last 250 of our seconds). ALL matter in the universe is subject to the dimension of time.

Answer 2

A dimension is a way of measuring things, and in which things might change. The three spacial dimensions might be thought of as a coordinate system by which you can define the location of any object in space, and through which objects can move.

In that sense, time is a sort of dimension, in that for a specific spacial coordinate, there may be different things there depending on point in time you choose. Time is NOT, however, like space in the sense that you can easy move back and forth, but it is a way of measuring things nonetheless. (Some theories do suggest that antimatter travels backward in time and that even stranger things go on, but that involves a MUCH more protracted discussion!)

There are many OTHER things that could easily be thought of as dimensions too. Mass, for example, is a property that is not dependant on location or time. And it can be changed, though the process is energetically quite expensive. Electric charge could be considered a dimension as well, even though it's expression seems to be heavily quantized at the low end. Still, this latter qualification may not exclude it, as there is some research which suggests that space is not completely continuous either and may be quantized at a small enough scale.

Some theories physicists make use of postulate dozens of dimensions, the exact number varying depending on exactly which theory you favor. Even proponents of such ideas are hard pressed to name them all, even when obscure quantum-mechanical qualities such as 'flavor' and 'spin' are counted in. Still, you never know...

Below is a link to a pretty thorough yet highly accessable book that discusses the subject. Look it up - it's a good read! Hope that helps!

Answer 3

It's a mathematical dimension that contains the other 3 dimensions.

Think about it this way, to make things simple.


In math, you have length, width and height as dimensions. But however, how could anything happen within these dimensions without time?


We need time to contain the other 3 dimensions in order for it to work out mathematically.

It's kind of a pseudo-dimension. It's hard to say if it's a realistic dimension or not.

Answer 4

Each dimension consists of two directions. There are an infinite number of directions. We use 3 dimensions because the position of things can be plotted using only 3 dimensions. The most common dimensions are left/right, up/down, front/back. North/south is also a dimension, and east/west.

We can move in only one direction in time. Therefore, I propose that time is a direction, but not a dimension. Time is only half of a dimension. This is a way of looking at it. After all, we can mentally go back in time and remember things. So perhaps time is really a dimension.

Read The Time Machine by HG Wells. He brings it into focus quite well...

Answer 5

Yes! During the 19th century time was seen as something absolute that basically just 'ticked' out the flow of events in the universe. It was the same for everyone, and it flowed the same for everyone no matter what.

Einstein showed us otherwise. Due to the constancy of the speed of light, he demonstrated that time is no longer an absolute, but can be experienced at different 'rates' for different observers depending on their velocity and the curvature of spacetime (due ot gravity) of the observer's location. This demonstrated that time, like space, is another "dimension" to our universe that we can move through at different rates.

It behaves a bit differently (we can't go backward in time without some weird theories), and in the equation that describes spacetime (the spacetime metric) it has the opposite sign as the space dimension. But it is another dimension.

Usually when physicists talk of adding dimensions, they mean adding spatial dimensions, so string theory doesn't add a time dimension.

Answer 6

YES.as far as today's science is concerned,physics can be divided into two,newtonian physics and einsteinan physics.when u compare what was discovered by newton with that of enistein,u will find that some of what newton said contradicts with that of einstein.so newtonian physics contradicts einsteinian physics to some extent,according to newton time is not a dimension,its something like a constant.so here time does not come into this i mean u cannot say that time is a dimnesion whenever u speak wiht respect to newtonian physics,but when it comes to einsteinian physics,time is regarded as a dimension.he says that time is also a dimension,in fact the fourth dimension.
So he says that space is not just a 3 dimensional entity which is influenced just by three dimensions of newtonian physics but its a 4 dimensionsal entity which he calls it as space - time 4D,which is greatly influenced by time.

It is only based upon this that complex mathematical calculations are now being done to develop on this subject

This also has something to do with the famous Lorentz-Fitzgerald equation,which forms the basis for the mathematical calculations involved in einstein's special theory of relativity


T = To/{square root of(1 - v2/c2)}

and

L = Lo*{square root of (1 - v2/c2)}.


But science keeps changing,what is true today and what is accepted by modern day scientists might be disproved tomorrow by a genius,but so far it's been only this much.

Answer 7

Time is the mismatch in thinking, therefore even for troublemakers time is of no importance, figure dificulties are hard for many but time itself does not seem for most a dificulty or a must, this is exactly the reason why it is not a dimension, given a dimension is a portray of aboundance in a matrix of reason (not probability). It seems enough with 2860 dimensions for pleasure and withdrawal, but them all are wanted for dismayed acomplishment and honor, which are not acquainted with paraflexes of conduct but imply in their true simbols of prejudice the make of life and our results. Dimensions are meant to dismantle our phisonomies and enable our thinking out of words and inside dilema, something very controversial yet as dilema useful and full of meanings.
Fun has 7,32 trillions of dimensions, imagining is everything sometimes, but light is not solid when mixed with gold. That should give some serious thinkers some dellusions. For myself being not a deva anymore I can tell not much thinking is needed on my account. Bye.

Answer 8

Got to this web site: http://www.tenthdimension.com/ It explains the 10 dimensions very well. In the flash, you will see the numbers 0 through 10 on your right. Just click over there.

Answer 9

obviously dude
alright define time-"it is the process of destruction of this universe"
so time will be a dimension for every thing in this universe

Answer 10

No . not excatly. Time is defined as a quantity just like masse is a quantity. what made you think that time is a dimension?
no one has ever described mass as a dimension either.