Humans experience reality in four dimensions: the three physical dimensions and time. Multidimensional space may exist beyond human perception, with up to 10 dimensions. Physicists study this to reconcile relativity and quantum mechanics, with theories like superstring theory. Experiments in particle accelerators aim to observe the effects of extra dimensions.
Humans experience everyday reality in four dimensions: the three physical dimensions and time. According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, time is actually the fourth physical dimension, with measurable characteristics similar to the other three. An ongoing field of study in physics is the attempt to explain both relativity and quantum theory, which governs reality on very small scales. Several proposals in this field suggest the existence of a multidimensional space. In other words, there may be additional physical dimensions that humans cannot perceive.
The science surrounding multidimensional space is so staggering that even the physicists who study it don’t fully understand it. It can be helpful to start with the three observable dimensions, which are the height, width, and length of a physical object. Einstein, in his work on general relativity in the early 20th century, showed that time is also a physical dimension. This is observable only under extreme conditions; for example, the immense gravity of a planetary body can actually slow down time in its immediate vicinity. The new model of the universe created by this theory is known as spacetime.
Since the era of Einstein, scientists have discovered many of the secrets of the universe, but not nearly all. One major field of study, quantum mechanics, is devoted to learning about the smallest particles of matter and how they interact. These particles behave very differently from the matter of observable reality. Physicist John Wheeler is quoted as saying, “If you’re not completely confused by quantum mechanics, you don’t understand it.” It has been suggested that multidimensional space may explain the strange behavior of these elementary particles.
For much of the 20th and 21st centuries, physicists have tried to reconcile Einstein’s findings with those of quantum physics. It is believed that such a theory would explain much of what is still unknown about the universe, including little-known forces such as gravity. One of the leading contenders for this theory is known variously as superstring theory, supersymmetry, or M-theory. This theory, while explaining many aspects of quantum mechanics, can only be correct if reality has 20, 21, or as many as 10 dimensions. Therefore, many physicists believe that multidimensional space is probable.
The extra dimensions of this multidimensional space would exist beyond the ability of humans to observe them. Some scientists suggest that they are bent or curled in the three observable dimensions in such a way that they cannot be seen by ordinary methods. Scientists hope their effects can be documented by observing how elementary particles behave when they collide. Many experiments in the world’s particle accelerator laboratories, such as CERN in Europe, are conducted to look for this evidence. Other theories claim to reconcile relativity and quantum mechanics without requiring the existence of a multidimensional space; which theory is correct remains to be seen.
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