Beyond space and time: Fractals, hyperspace and more - New Scientist

Description

(Image: Ryan Wills)

We don't have any trouble coping with three dimensions – or four at a pinch. The 3D world of solid objects and limitless space is something we accept with scarcely a second thought. Time, the fourth dimension, gets a little trickier. But it's when we start to explore worlds that embody more – or indeed fewer – dimensions that things get really tough.

These exotic worlds might be daunting, but they matter. String theory, our best guess yet at a theory of everything, doesn't seem to work with fewer than 10 dimensions. Some strange and useful properties of solids, such as superconductivity, are best explained using theories in two, one or even no dimensions at all.

Prepare your mind for boggling as we explore the how, why and where of dimensions.

On the dot

Surely, with no dimensions there's no room for anything, so a 0D space must amount to nothing at all – mustn't it?

Walk the line

Add one dimension, and physics starts to look a little familiar

Fractal landscapes

Welcome to the irregular landscapes between the familiar worlds of one, two and three dimensions

Vistas of flatland

Physics in one dimension is too simple to be satisfying, and three dimensions are complicated and messy. Two-dimensional "flatland" is just right

We're here because we're here?

Flatland and multi-dimensional ...

Original URL

http://www.newscientist.com/special/beyond-space-and-time

http://www.newscientist.com/special/beyond-space-and-time