the meaning of life... for this forum

[batmanmg]

has this forum ever indevoured to give a purpose to all the 4d discussion?

as in... has it ever tried to pose practical (well as practical as you can get with 4d) applications to the use of 4d thinking? Or maybe even tried to prove/disprove the existance of a 4th dimension?

if not I think it should.

[headcircus]

has this forum ever indevoured to give a purpose to all the 4d discussion?

as in... has it ever tried to pose practical (well as practical as you can get with 4d) applications to the use of 4d thinking? Or maybe even tried to prove/disprove the existance of a 4th dimension?

if not I think it should.

I was wondering the same thing.. I know this post is rather old, but I wanted to ask the same question. Although, more about the "applications" versus if this forum is designed to solve those problems. As far as purpose goes: i think the purpose of this forum is to allow people who have similar ideas and interests to come together and discuss those ideas and interests and thats it. (Hence: forum)

On the application side, I wonder if you are asking if there are practical uses for our pedestrian existence? I don't think so... At least not yet. We can barely handle 3 dimensions without destroying ourselves let alone 4, we have a long way to go.

But, I dont really understand why 4 is such a magic number, except for the spacetime aspect of it. Maybe I just answered my own question, but I don't see a limitation to dimensions. I see all objects in the universe *already* existing in infinite dimensions. (not 11 just because it ties 5 forms of string theory together - I was never comfortable with assuming that there is relevance to extra dimensions because the math proves they are there. Yes the math does prove out, but in another 100 years our math on string theory will probably be rewritten, or at least, we'll be removing and tacking dimensions on as soon as the next genius is born and figures it out). So 11? Sure, for now. It was 10 a few years ago.. 12 tomorrow? 13? I mean, whatever.. the true answer probably is not far away. <end>

I think that everything already exists in infinite dimensions, but it is up to the observer (as in quantum theory) to collapse the wave function of those objects in the amount of dimensions he or she is privy to. And for us, its 3. We collapse the wave function of a particle that already has the potential to exist simultaneously in all dimensions. When we bring it into a fixed point in space, as observers we also "collapse the dimension function" (sorry..) but using what N dimensions we are privy to. And yes I am indicating that we are not alone in this universe.

Another creature may collapse the wave function of a particle, and then collapse the dimension function of said particle in 4,547 dimensions. Whatever that creature's dimensional limitation is.

Words are inert symbols. Length width and depth sound meaningful to us, but they are just symbols applied to these constructs. There are also 4,547 other words that creature N uses, but we dont care.

So that longwinded response was really to say, our spatial dimensional limitation is 3. So why try to fit a square peg into a round hole? The applications that come out of 4d will use these concepts indirectly. Which is a very useful application of 4d, but not direct - not to our pedestrian existence (for that, we have 3)

Also, on your question about "disproving" a 4th dimension. Are you asking if a 4th "spatial" dimension can be disproved? To that I would refer to my original thought: We think that 4 is such a magic number spatially when I would bet that there is no limitation to spatial dimensions. However there is a limitation to *OUR* ability to perceive these dimensions. All objects already exist in all dimensions, it is up to the observer to put them into existence at a fixed point and for a set of dimensions. If its 4, its 4. If its 100 its 100.

[Hugh]

I think that everything already exists in infinite dimensions, but it is up to the observer (as in quantum theory) to collapse the wave function of those objects in the amount of dimensions he or she is privy to. And for us, its 3. We collapse the wave function of a particle that already has the potential to exist simultaneously in all dimensions. When we bring it into a fixed point in space, as observers we also "collapse the dimension function" (sorry..) but using what N dimensions we are privy to. And yes I am indicating that we are not alone in this universe.

Another creature may collapse the wave function of a particle, and then collapse the dimension function of said particle in 4,547 dimensions. Whatever that creature's dimensional limitation is.

I agree that we humans have limitations to seeing the full reality of what the universe (ourselves included) actually consists of. I also agree that there are beings with much higher abilities in seeing things as they really are.

So that longwinded response was really to say, our spatial dimensional limitation is 3. So why try to fit a square peg into a round hole? The applications that come out of 4d will use these concepts indirectly. Which is a very useful application of 4d, but not direct - not to our pedestrian existence (for that, we have 3)

I think it is possible for us to fully understand those higher dimensions, if they actually exist. It would be a matter of understanding how those higher dimensions would actually be seen and experienced by the limited 3d perspective that we have. I think we would see only a "3d slice" of all higher dimensions at a time.

We think that 4 is such a magic number spatially when I would bet that there is no limitation to spatial dimensions. However there is a limitation to *OUR* ability to perceive these dimensions. All objects already exist in all dimensions, it is up to the observer to put them into existence at a fixed point and for a set of dimensions. If its 4, its 4. If its 100 its 100.

Although there may be a limit to the number of spatial dimensions, (it may not be infinite and I don't think it is infinite), I agree that whatever number that there are, all objects - including ourselves - exist within them.

The meaning of life... for this forum? It's a gift from a guy called Alkaline, who started it up to discuss fourth spatial dimensional possibilities.

I hope it stays around a long time, not only that, but that it somehow helps humanity understand how higher spatial dimensions could actually exist.