2007-01-25 05:43:14 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
I guess you are referring to string theory which posits that there are 11 dimensions instead of the 4 we experience everyday (3 distance and 1 of time).
In fact the additional 7 dimensions of distance are extremely small and curled back on themselves (smaller than 10^-43 cm). As an example imagine a one-dimension world made of a single rubber hose stretched between 2 buildings. From far away, you would say this is a 1-dimensional world and you would need only one value to determine the position of an ant on that hose,namely the distance of the ant to the origin of the hose. But if you take binocular and start looking closely at the hose, you will notice it has a second dimension, circular which is much shorter and loops back on itself. This is the "circle" around which the ant can rotate. So now you recognize it is a two dimensional world and you need two sets of number to determine the position of the ant: its distance from the origin of the hose and its angular position around the hose.
Our world is a bit like this hose except there are 7 more dimensions and they are much much smaller than the radius of a hose.
2007-01-25 05:56:50 · answer #1 · answered by catarthur 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
theres the 4 we know and live in - space-time. The M-theory mathematics are basically a unification of the 5 different String Theory equations...that 11th dimension that was added by M-theory basically makes the strings look like rippling surfaces (membranes) instead of just a string. The extra 7 dimensions around us are compactified, ie miniscule to the point where we cant percieve them, but do have an effect on the quantum world. Theres no point in naming them, since we dont percieve them, and they are simply variables in the p-brane equations, ie the value of p can range from 0 to 9, equating to 10 different space dimensions + time. This was long and rambling i'm sorry...they dont have names is the answer. And actually i forget it was on my icon but the picture on it is of a 3 dimensional Calabi-Yau space. Now imagine that picture but in 7 dimensions and those are the extra ones :) good luck with that :)
2007-01-25 14:10:29 · answer #2 · answered by Beach_Bum 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the above is a great answer. But keep in mind that M-theory physicist created these extra dimensions to make their math work. These dimensions all happen to be smaller than currently measureable. So there is no way of telling if they are actually there or if it is math voodoo to make the numbers come out right.
2007-01-25 14:06:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
height, width, depth, time, Dopey, Sleepy, Doc, Sneezy, Happy, Prancer, Chaney.
2007-01-25 13:53:22 · answer #4 · answered by punchpringle 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you don't want to know.
Most of them are coiled up or look into M-theory
2007-01-25 13:55:38 · answer #5 · answered by Edward 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋