I get the idea of dimensions of reality and how there are eg infinite two dimensional planes in our 3d one. What I don’t get is why they can’t be moved between. In a 3d cube we can draw a 2d line between any two points by changing the direction.
Applying this to reality, if we exist in a universe with more than 3 dimensions, why are we unable to change the “direction” we are in?
I’ve often heard extra dimensions described as planes but why can we not change planes in the same way a diagonal line would. Is it because the concept of a higher dimensional direction doesn’t exist in our lower dimension?
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I think you’re confusing two different kinds of “dimensions” here. The more scientific definition of dimensions are the 4 dimensions that constitute the 3 cardinal directions plus time (some argue there are more, but that has yet to be supported experimentally).
The other definition you’re using for dimensions is the concept of separate realities that is popular in science fiction writings, for example, rick and morty traveling to parallel universes.
For the more scientific one, you can’t move “out” of the 4 dimensions but you can (and do) certainly move within any 4 of the dimensions in any way you want (except backwards through time, for reasons too advanced for this thread). You can’t leave these dimensions because they make up everything, and you can’t exist within nothing. Also, as I hinted at above, it’s possible that there are more than 4 dimensions in our universe but no one has created any sort of experiment to test whether or not they actually exist. However, *if* they exist, the same logic applies, and you can and do move through those dimensions. That said *if* they exist these dimensions are very *small* and are not noticeable by us.
The other kind of dimension, the parallel universe kind, are scientifically speaking completely different. This is another case of unsupported hypotheses, but *if* parallel universes exist, there’s no known way of traveling to and from them, and speculated on why not or how to do so is a exercise in futility.
If there are any higher dimensions, it’s assumed we already exist in them, because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise. However, that doesn’t mean we can sense that dimension in a meaningful way. Each new dimensional plane intersects with the other existing planes at 90 degree angles. If you have a simple line, that is intersected at 90 degrees to create two axes, which we generally call X and Y. A graph with an X-axis and a Y-axis is 2D. By intersecting both of them at 90 degrees again, we create a Z-axis. To create a 4th plane, we would need to cross all 3 planes of existence at perpendicular angles, which makes no sense to our human minds. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but if it does exist, we won’t be able to detect it directly.
If there are any higher dimensions, it’s assumed we already exist in them, because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise. However, that doesn’t mean we can sense that dimension in a meaningful way. Each new dimensional plane intersects with the other existing planes at 90 degree angles. If you have a simple line, that is intersected at 90 degrees to create two axes, which we generally call X and Y. A graph with an X-axis and a Y-axis is 2D. By intersecting both of them at 90 degrees again, we create a Z-axis. To create a 4th plane, we would need to cross all 3 planes of existence at perpendicular angles, which makes no sense to our human minds. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but if it does exist, we won’t be able to detect it directly.
If there are any higher dimensions, it’s assumed we already exist in them, because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise. However, that doesn’t mean we can sense that dimension in a meaningful way. Each new dimensional plane intersects with the other existing planes at 90 degree angles. If you have a simple line, that is intersected at 90 degrees to create two axes, which we generally call X and Y. A graph with an X-axis and a Y-axis is 2D. By intersecting both of them at 90 degrees again, we create a Z-axis. To create a 4th plane, we would need to cross all 3 planes of existence at perpendicular angles, which makes no sense to our human minds. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but if it does exist, we won’t be able to detect it directly.
They arent dimensions in the fantasy sense, they are literally dimensions of measurement of the universe.
They arent dimensions in the fantasy sense, they are literally dimensions of measurement of the universe.
They arent dimensions in the fantasy sense, they are literally dimensions of measurement of the universe.
Our entire existence is built around four dimensions (height, width, depth and time), and our senses are built to detect, and interact with, a four-dimensional universe.
If there were other beings living in a ‘fifth dimension’, we would look *very* strange to them — we would be four-dimensional beings in a five-dimensional universe. We’d literally be *missing* one dimension in the ‘other plane’.
Such beings would also not be able to exist fully in *our* three-dimensional universe, because again — they would be missing one dimension that is integral to their existence.
Here’s a rather nice ELI5 explanation from Carl Sagan:
Our entire existence is built around four dimensions (height, width, depth and time), and our senses are built to detect, and interact with, a four-dimensional universe.
If there were other beings living in a ‘fifth dimension’, we would look *very* strange to them — we would be four-dimensional beings in a five-dimensional universe. We’d literally be *missing* one dimension in the ‘other plane’.
Such beings would also not be able to exist fully in *our* three-dimensional universe, because again — they would be missing one dimension that is integral to their existence.
Here’s a rather nice ELI5 explanation from Carl Sagan:
Our entire existence is built around four dimensions (height, width, depth and time), and our senses are built to detect, and interact with, a four-dimensional universe.
If there were other beings living in a ‘fifth dimension’, we would look *very* strange to them — we would be four-dimensional beings in a five-dimensional universe. We’d literally be *missing* one dimension in the ‘other plane’.
Such beings would also not be able to exist fully in *our* three-dimensional universe, because again — they would be missing one dimension that is integral to their existence.
Here’s a rather nice ELI5 explanation from Carl Sagan:
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