Who claims that the world has 10 or 11 dimensions, and how could they claim this?

skysmom65

String theory is a model of fundamental physics whose building blocks are one-dimensional extended objects (strings) rather than the zero-dimensional points (particles) that are the basis of the Standard Model of particle physics. String theorists are attempting to adjust the Standard Model by removing the assumption in quantum mechanics that particles are point-like. By removing this assumption and replacing the point-like particles with strings, it is hoped that string theory will develop into a sensible quantum theory of gravity. Moreover, string theory appears to be able to "unify" the known natural forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, weak and strong) by describing them with the same set of equations. No experimental verification or falsification of the theory has yet been possible, thus leading many experts to turn to one of several alternate models, such as Loop quantum gravity. However, with the construction of the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland scientists may produce relevant data. Studies of string theory have revealed that it predicts not just strings, but also higher-dimensional objects (branes). String theory strongly suggests the existence of ten or eleven (in M-theory) spacetime dimensions, as opposed to the relativistic four (three spatial and one time).[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory Jan 14 07, 9:18 PM

Baloo55th

It's quie easy to claim things like this - but a lot harder to prove them. Systems of mathematics can be devised where things like 2+2=5 are correct, and where triangles don't have internal angles adding up to 180 degrees and so on. As to whether we could see them or not, consider a two dimensional world - just like a shape drawn on a piece of paper. Beings on that world will be able to go forward and back, left and right but not up and down. So they would only see a pin stuck through their world as a solid two dimensional shape, without being able to see its extensions above and below their world. (This is disregarding time as a dimension, of course.) We can see three dimensions. But we would be unable to see a fourth (spatial not time) dimension if it intersected our three. And so on... Other interesting theories include the one that the curve of Einsteinian spact-time is not just a curve, but is related to the Mobius ring and the Klein bottle (and Fortunatus' Purse). Jan 15 07, 7:07 AM