So William Rowan Hamilton said that space=3 dimensions & time=1. He used 3 +1 to get to 4th dim. equations...?

Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rowan_Hamilton

So is this what people are talking about when they say that time is NOT the fourth dimension? I believe the popular conception is that time IS the 4th dimension. But when I was in college, I heard people say it wasn't. Are there any equations that you know of that explain time? Was Hamilton onto anything?

Answer 1

I find time having only one dimension to be very egocentric.

To humans and even matter, yes time only moves in one direction.

Time and space may be able to be serpated in definition, but the simple idea that time cannot exist without matter/stuff to judge changes against, shows that it must be the next logical step in diminsions


I have no equations

Answer 2

Yeah, Einstein elaborated on this with his theories of General and Special Relativity. Space and time is in fact, intermeshed into a "fabric" known as space-time:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity