[datricker]

Four dimensions, actually, including time.

would you not then need 5 or 6 dimensions if you include time so as to have a beginning and ending element in your field set other (x, y, z, t0, time_start, time_end).

Thankfully linear algebra doesn't care about the number of dimensions in the so the whole premise of the question is probably wrong.

[exDemMom]

would you not then need 5 or 6 dimensions if you include time so as to have a beginning and ending element in your field set other (x, y, z, t0, time_start, time_end).

If you look at it that way, in order to measure something, there must be a beginning and endpoint to each directional axis: (x1-x2), (y1-y2), (z1-z2), (t1-t2). That does not introduce extra dimensions, but only blocks off sections of essentially infinite properties.