Replies

Space is nothing more than 'space' the absence of objects. My limited understanding of dimensions is that they are ways to describe objects and their relationship to one another within space. i.e. height, width, depth, time.

Why is it that the last few years we have seen new, wierd 'dimensions'? I don't get it.

There is a great series by NOVA on the unifying theory for physics. Apparently there are about 28 factors that phycisists measure at the subatomic level and at the planetary level. These 28 factors (gravity, light, radiation, mass, etc, etc) are interrelated by equations. Unfortunately the equations at the planetary level (i.e stars, nova, planets) are not the same ones for subatomic and atomic particles observed in super colliders. Theoretically they should be, but they are not. It means there are other factors that we are not observing at the planetary level and subatomic level. Mathmeticians are trying to derive the common equations that will work at the two different levels. Their theoretical derivations if expressed into the physical world would mean that there is more dimensions than the four we can measure (height, length, width, and time). So far no one has conducted experiments that allow us to measure these additional dimensions. All of this is deducted from known and measured data. That is why it is still a theory. I hope my layman explanation helped.

To answer Bear's question- [Why is it that the last few years we have seen new, wierd 'dimensions'? I don't get it.]

...and lafroste's proposal- [I propose that mass is itself a dimensional phenomenon ]

...read the best book about string theory ever written for the layman (this is the PBS series based on the book "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene): http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/

Even though it's a bit challenging to grasp some of the concepts and several readings may be necessary, Greene explains how fundamental units of energy vibrating like loops of string in eleven dimensional space are what makes up everything we know of; including matter, energy, force, and space.

He even includes a very good explanation of "the ant on the garden hose universe" analogy.

Space is nothing more than 'space' the absence of objects.

Except that particles are popping in and out of existence within that "empty space". The energy potential in a vacuum is astounding.

Why is it that the last few years we have seen new, wierd 'dimensions'?

Because we're looking at reality close enough to notice things nobody noticed before.