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To: Doctor Stochastic
According to physics (I think), there should be measurable differences between the two models. (I don't know what these would be.)

Most everything you said looked right to me, except you used z in place of t in the c2 term (I assume that's a typo) - and the metrics you use all describe flat spacial geometries. Different geometries emerge when non-diagonal components appear in the metric tensor/matrix in the presence of a gravitational field (things start getting complicated then) - Einstein's gravitational equation dictates how this occurs. Assuming that this 4th spacial dimension has a localized geometry, I'm making an educated guess that the measurable effects would be that gravity becomes much stronger at super-short distances. (What distance, I don't know - experiment rules out anything greater than a cm or so, I think.)

For those interested, see things like quadratic forms or metric spaces, etc.

Most people will be deterred once they actually find out what goes into basic general relativity physics - not because it's too difficult in principle, but because it's, well, boring. Riemannian geometry is what it's all about, and unless you have a vested interest in learning it, it's all a lot of tedious algebra.

WALOGIMBAT

Now this has me confused!

127 posted on 05/26/2006 7:01:02 AM PDT by Quark2005 (Confidence follows from consilience.)
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To: Quark2005
THere is a difference in gravity with other dimensions. I also think that inverse square laws do not lead to stable orbits in other than three spatial dimensions. (I'm not sure if compactification matters here.)
129 posted on 05/26/2006 7:37:37 AM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch ist der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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To: Quark2005

Without
Any
Loss
Of
Generality
It
May
Be
Assumed
That


130 posted on 05/26/2006 7:38:33 AM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch ist der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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