I don't understand

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I don't understand

Postby missgrace410 » Sat Feb 21, 2004 7:48 pm

I have to do a report on the fourth dimension, and I've researched for about a week or two. But I can't fully comprehend what the fourth dimension is suppose to be. I don't think its time, and I know it isn't proven, but if someone would please try to explain to me their opinion of the fourth dimension, I would truly appreciate it.

Thanx so much,

~Missgrace
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Postby Aale de Winkel » Sat Feb 21, 2004 9:02 pm

The fourth dimension as discussed here is simply a further space-direction added to our three directions.
We know the directions x,y and z. the fourth dimension simply adds another direction w to these directions, so each postion is given by 4-numbers which can be written as a 4-vector (x,y,z,w)
As such the fourth dimension is merely a mathematical concept, where the regular 3 dimensional concepts is extrapolated into.
This forum goes a step beyond the mathematical, and phylosophyses about 4-dimensional life etc. as such it is a bundle of "thought experiments".
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Me 2

Postby LilQtPie » Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:18 pm

I'm in 8th grade and doing a report on the 4th dimension too, so that I can take honors math classes, and your website was the best one explaining the theory of Tetraspace... even though it's a little hard to understand. It would be great if you made it a little more simple.
>> AnGeLiC <<
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Postby missgrace410 » Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:53 pm

So where do all the pictures of hypercubes come in? Where is that shape coming from?
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Postby RQ » Sun Feb 22, 2004 7:39 am

It is merely the connection of the corresponding vertices of 2 3D solids.
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Postby missgrace410 » Sun Feb 22, 2004 2:50 pm

Thanx!!!
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Postby missgrace410 » Sun Feb 22, 2004 5:34 pm

I completely disagree with the time is the fourth dimension theory, but to not be biased in my report, I was going to include theories of why the fourth dimension is time. I can't find any information that suggest any sort of prove towards this, at least that doesn't include other information that I also totally disagree with. What are some standard arguements that time is the fourth dimension, or just a dimension in general?
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Postby Aale de Winkel » Sun Feb 22, 2004 9:02 pm

missgrace410 wrote:What are some standard arguements that time is the fourth dimension, or just a dimension in general?


In relativety theories Time is used as a fourth dimension, since time is not a length there is a unit-mismatch which is compensated by multiplying time with the velocity of light (c). In relativity theory it is often used as the zeroth component of the space-time 4-vector, often also multiplied by i (= root(-1)) to make the relation x[sub]μ[/sub]x[sup]μ[/sup] = 0 stands for the expansion of the light sphere in normal coördinates this reads x[sup]2[/sup] + y[sup]2[/sup] + z[sup]2[/sup] = t[sup]2[/sup] (c often scaled to 1).
This point of view simply makes it an excelent mathematical tool, as said much of the 4th dimension is a mathematical generalisation of three dimensional mathematics, wheter one views time above as a true dimension is a matter of opinion, the mathematics suggest when one travels at speed greater then c (the speed of light) one travels back in time (as tachyons do), dispite that what is suggested by sci-fi stories.
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