in string theory i find that there are 10 dimensions in the universe.can anyone tell me what are they?

Answer 1

You have hit a very interesting nail on the head. Depending on which model of strong theory you use, there are either 10, 11, or 26 dimensions present in the universe. Which naturally leads to the question of where all these other dimensions are...

First, let's point out where these numbers come from. String theory is based largely on mathematical models and calculation, not on observation. A scientist did NOT sit down, discover some extra dimensions experimentally, and then adjust the theory to account for them. Instead, it went the other way - someone crunched the numbers of a bunch of theories together and the resulting calculations produced descriptions in the form of many 'extra' dimensions.

Which can be a bit of an embarassing question for a fan of string theory. After all, they are suggesting that instead of using the four well-accepted dimensions, they are asserting that everything is at least twice as complex, despite nobody being able to see where this extra complexity is! To my knowledge, there are three major explanations of where to find these extra dimensions.

One of them suggests that there are many other properties we know of that are, in fact, intrinsic properties of space, in much the same way as position and time are. We know it's possible to change the position and relative time of objects by applying energy in the right way, so perhaps other traits that show this same property are dimensions too. Mass is one good example. We know it can be changed with energy, so perhaps mass in one of the extra dimensions. In the same way, we might add electric charge, spin, flavor (quantum-mechanical properties of particles) and a number of other things to bulk up the number of dimensions we need to find. A good lay book that explains this idea is called "Hyperspace" (see second link below).

The second major explanation for the 'extra' dimensions is that they're there, but you can't see them because they're too small. Our known spatial dimensions, for example, are not infinite in size... just so large as to SEEM so. If there are a half-dozen or so other dimensions that are so small that even atoms can't slip through them regularly, then it would explain why they haven't been noticed too much. In fact, this theory goes a long way to explain some other unusual quantum-mechnical phenomenon such as tunneling (where atoms go through impossible barriers faster than light and without crossing the physical space in between) and self-interference with one particle.

The third major explanation for the missing dimensions is that they exist, but just not where we are. This theory holds that the 'real' universe has 10, 11, or 26 dimensions, but what we THINK is the universe is actually just a 'small' pocket of subspace which only happens to have the four main dimensions. The other dimensions, though they exist, are thus completely inaccessable to us. I don't much care for this so-called theory because it would seem that there is no way to test t other than by leaving our current universe (if that's even possible!).

Anyway, hope that helps! Until physicists find those extra dimensions, you can help them out by looking for them under rocks and stuff! ( :

Answer 2

Actually, according to M-Theory and Super-Gravity, there are 11 dimensions, 3 spatial, 1 time, and 7 quantum dimensions too infintesimal to detect directly.

The first 4 are probably pretty understandable to you. The other 7 are derived from theoretical mathematics which use manifolds other than the simple 3-D Euclidean manifold, and instead of a straight line such as the 3-D variables (x, y, z), (height, length, width), that are straight and continuous, the other 7 are extremely small, and are curved. They are still theoretical, but make sense mathematically, we just don't have the technology to measure them.

Answer 3

String Theory states 10.I believe you are referring to the older thought in which there are 9 space dimensions and one time. M-theory, however, suggests 11. Each of these is very small and believed to coexist at the same level as ours.
But quantom theory is only a hobby of mine.

Answer 4

i thought string theory had 11 - 13 dimensions

Answer 5

They are dimensions. They don't have labels (as far as I know). If you are asking for someone to explain them to you, that is out of my league. I have a passing interest in the theory, but don't have the education in math and physics to actually understand the equations and things.

Sorry! Guess they are just the 5th dimension, 6th dimension, 7th dimension, etc.

Answer 6

They're mathematical dimensions. It's kind of impossible to picture it as a whole big 11 dimensional object but.


Think of zero dimensions as a point.

1 dimension as a line

2 dimenions as a line breaking off from this line

3 dimenions as another line breaking off from this line

Ok and now it gets weird, but essentially imagine as the 4th dimenison, all of those lines contained within a point in space.

5th dimenion is turning this point into a line

6th is a line off it

7th is another lin e off it

8th is turning all of this into a point again

9th is a line

10th is another line

11th is all of this contained within a point again


There is a reason it doesn't keep going but I'm not going to explain that XD

Answer 7

Dimension #1 The ring around Uranaus
As a subscriber to Chaos theory, I have no time for simple String theory questions. Contact Fermi or JPL for simpleton requests.

Obvoiusly you are a poor quality grad student, Fool

Answer 8

One large time dimension.

Three large spatial dimensions.

Six small spatial dimensions.

In other words, if the universe is 15 billion lightyears across this way, that way and over in that direction, it will only be something like 10^-15 m across in the remaining six dimension,