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Theoretical Physics

Other Dimensions

Scientific revolutions almost by definition defy common sense. Perhaps
the most deeply entrenched common-sense notion about our world is that it

is three dimensional. Length, width, and height suffice to describe all objects
in our visible universe. If we include time as a fourth dimension (as per
Albert Einstein’s view, the father of modern physics), then four dimensions

are sufficient to record all events happening in our universe.

There is a growing acknowledgment among physicists worldwide, including

Nobel laureates, that the universe may exist in higher-dimensional space
called Hyperspace. Scientifically, the hyperspace theory goes by the names

of ‘Kaluza-Klein theory’ and ‘Supergravity’. But its most advanced
formulation is called ‘superstring theory’, which even predicts the precise
number of dimensions: ten. The usual three dimensions of space (length,

width, and height) and one dimension of time are now extended by six more
dimensions of space. The theory of hyperspace has not been experimentally

confirmed and would be exceedingly difficult to prove in the laboratory.

The laws of light and gravity seem dissimilar. They obey different physical

assumptions and different mathematics. Attempts to combine these two
forces have always failed. But if we add one more dimension, a fifth
dimension, to the previous four dimensions of space (length, width, and

height) and time, then the equations of light and gravity merge like two
pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Light can be expressed as vibrations in the fifth
dimension. In this way, we see that the laws of light and gravity become

simpler in five dimensions. Consequently, many physicists are now
convinced that a conventional four-dimensional theory is too small to

describe adequately the forces of our universe. This way, ten dimensions are
enough to describe all the forces that govern our universe. The forces are
Gravity, Electromagnetism, The Strong Nuclear Force and The Weak Nuclear

Force.

For the past half-century, many scientists have been puzzled as to why
the basic forces that hold together the cosmos (four natural forces,
namely, Gravity, Electromagnetism and the two nuclear forces) differ so

greatly.