Adventures in the 4th Dimension

[Nightgaunt]

I hope I'm posting this in the correct forum. I think it qualifies as science...

[torn asunder]

wow, very cool!

i have a question though, or maybe more of a concern - at about 0:58-1:02 of the second video, they do something they said they weren't allowed to do. they created a crease/sharp point in the two loops when they transitioned the circle. did anyone else notice that?

[Nightgaunt]

wow, very cool!

i have a question though, or maybe more of a concern - at about 0:58-1:02 of the second video, they do something they said they weren't allowed to do. they created a crease/sharp point in the two loops when they transitioned the circle. did anyone else notice that?

The black reference segments appear to break the rule, but if you concentrate on the blue line, it conforms. I think.

[torn asunder]

The black reference segments appear to break the rule, but if you concentrate on the blue line, it conforms. I think.

i'll have to re-watch it - it was fascinating to see, though! i love shit like this!

[torn asunder]

btw, shouldn't this thread be titled adventures in the 5th dimension? i was under the impression that time was accepted as the 4th dimension?

[Epic_Fail_Guy]

btw, shouldn't this thread be titled adventures in the 5th dimension? i was under the impression that time was accepted as the 4th dimension?

I'll second this notion... I was under the same impression...

[Nightgaunt]

That's kind of a weird gray-area. The 4th dimensional acrobatics that the video talks about refers to a fourth spatial dimension. In other words, in three dimensions, we have up and down (height), side to side (width), and back and forth (depth). If we were fourth-dimensional beings, we'd also be able to perceive and act in "ana" and "kata". These days, physicists don't generally recognize time as being the fourth dimension with the development of the concept of "spacetime" in the 20th century. But not always. This is where it gets muddy. When you're talking about classical mechanics, you're talking about Euclidean space and time is treated as a universal constant. You can't do that when talking about relativity however, because time depends on velocity relative to the speed of light and on gravitational fields (which we still don't have a clue about).

The long and the short of it is, no one really knows anything. We've got a few ideas that seem to be working okay until we're able to come up with better ones.

If you really want to get neck deep in this (and I recommend it), check out these books to get started...

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott My father handed me this book when I was like, ten years old, and it really opened my mind to whole new vistas.

Quantum Reality by Nick Herbert I have read this over and over and given it as a gift many times. It's a good layman's introduction to quantum physics and explores the philosophical and metaphysical ramifications of the science.

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku I'm in the middle of reading this one. It's everything you've always wanted to know about string theory...

This video is pretty good too (and it's free)...

[torn asunder]

If you really want to get neck deep in this (and I recommend it), check out these books to get started...

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott My father handed me this book when I was like, ten years old, and it really opened my mind to whole new vistas.

Quantum Reality by Nick Herbert I have read this over and over and given it as a gift many times. It's a good layman's introduction to quantum physics and explores the philosophical and metaphysical ramifications of the science.

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku I'm in the middle of reading this one. It's everything you've always wanted to know about string theory...

i have "hyperspace" and "beyond einstein", both by michio kaku, sitting in the bookcase in front of me as we speak. i'll have to look for the "parallel worlds" one - sounds really interesting, i *love* string theory. also, any recommendations on m-theory? i'd rather have a recommendation than just pick one off the shelves. (btw, have you read "the tao of physics" by fritjof capra? really good read if you're into eastern philosophy as well!)

Edited April 29, 2010 by torn asunder

[synthier]

i have "hyperspace" and "beyond einstein", both by michio kaku, sitting in the bookcase in front of me as we speak. i'll have to look for the "parallel worlds" one - sounds really interesting, i *love* string theory. also, any recommendations on m-theory? i'd rather have a recommendation than just pick one off the shelves. (btw, have you read "the tao of physics" by fritjof capra? really good read if you're into eastern philosophy as well!)

as far as i know, you're going to have a hard time finding a "purely" m-theory book due to the nature of the beast. seems that in order to learn more, you often have to cover things you likely already know about string theory. that being said, i have heard from peeps in the field that becker et al do a good job in 'string theory and m-theory'... but that's more of a textbook (thus, $). haven't personally read that one though - for that very reason. AND i believe the person i talked to about it knows at least one of the authors, so they could be biased.

i think brian greene is a wonderful author if you want to read about this stuff (in general) for "light reading"... but i can't recall just how much m-theory he gets into, and i believe this topic/section of my bookshelf has been packed up already so i can't look it up! grrr. in any case, he's definitely not as in-depth as the one mentioned above is reported to be. so, i'm sure that was of little help. ha!

let us know if your quest is fruitful!

[Nightgaunt]

i have "hyperspace" and "beyond einstein", both by michio kaku, sitting in the bookcase in front of me as we speak. i'll have to look for the "parallel worlds" one - sounds really interesting, i *love* string theory. also, any recommendations on m-theory? i'd rather have a recommendation than just pick one off the shelves. (btw, have you read "the tao of physics" by fritjof capra? really good read if you're into eastern philosophy as well!)

I have not read The Tao of Physics, but I will now. Parallel Worlds gets into M-Theory.