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The 11 dimensions of string theory


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Some interpret the 11 dimensions of string theory as "other worlds" that could host life. I've met many spiritual people who use that as a scientific validation for the "unknown".
But as I've understood it, they are subatomic dimensions, that only exist within particles.

So which one is it? Just to get it settled once and for all...

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3 minutes ago, QuantumT said:

Some interpret the 11 dimensions of string theory as "other worlds" that could host life.

I have never heard that. It doesn't sound like something a physicist would say.

4 minutes ago, QuantumT said:

But as I've understood it, they are subatomic dimensions, that only exist within particles.

They are not just within particles, but the idea is that they are "rolled up" small so that we do not perceive them.

On the other hand, they could just be a mathematical model, and not actually exist.

And on the third hand, string theory might be wrong!

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3 minutes ago, Strange said:

I have never heard that. It doesn't sound like something a physicist would say.

They are not just within particles, but the idea is that they are "rolled up" small so that we do not perceive them.

On the other hand, they could just be a mathematical model, and not actually exist.

And on the third hand, string theory might be wrong!

Thank you!

No physicist said it. It comes from fiction mainly. Just wanted to be sure it had no foundation in real science.

Edited by QuantumT
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A 'dimension' is the domain of "degrees of freedom'.
As such, they help formulate the mathematical model of reality.
And since mathematical models have been known to have predictive abilities, there is a chance that they may be real.

They would either be 'rolled-up', but extremely small ( so far undetectable ) dimensions, and have properties of Calabi-Yau manifolds.
Or they could be large scale, in which, lower dimensional 'branes' reside.

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So, is it basically a search for gravity?

I have attempted a few conjectures the latter years, and been proven wrong. But still I can't help myself trying again. Is that good or bad?

About gravity, my latest conjecture is that it is not found in the standard model. It is dark matter. Gravity is dark matter.

You don't need to state the obvious: that I'm wrong.

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2 hours ago, QuantumT said:

Some interpret the 11 dimensions of string theory as "other worlds" that could host life. I've met many spiritual people who use that as a scientific validation for the "unknown".

Citation needed

1 hour ago, QuantumT said:

Thank you!

No physicist said it. It comes from fiction mainly. Just wanted to be sure it had no foundation in real science.

Ah. You understand that this is a science discussion site, right?

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3 minutes ago, swansont said:

Citation needed

I believe it is a general misconception deriving from sci-fi authors and Hollywood.
But it is something millions of people has accepted as science fact, unfortunately.

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They have done so in error. In physics a dimension is a mathematical term specifying any independent variable. This is also termed a degree of freedom 

 For example the x,y,z coordinates are independent of each other as a particle can change in the x axis without changing the coordinate axis of y and z 

String theory adds effective degrees of freedom of numerous other interactions such as time, charge, flavour etc  

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14 minutes ago, QuantumT said:

I believe it is a general misconception deriving from sci-fi authors and Hollywood.
But it is something millions of people has accepted as science fact, unfortunately.

Like I said: science site. 

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36 minutes ago, swansont said:

Ah. You understand that this is a science discussion site, right?

14 minutes ago, swansont said:

Like I said: science site. 

Of course. My inquiry was, if it had any foundation in science.

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Nothing in the opening post is accurate....

A string has dimensionality of 1. Each vibrational mode can effectively add a degree of freedom ( dimension). String theory also isn't limited to 11 dimensions. There are other variations of string theory with more or less dimensions. 

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13 minutes ago, Mordred said:

Nothing in the opening post is accurate....

A string has dimensionality of 1. Each vibrational mode can effectively add a degree of freedom ( dimension). String theory also isn't limited to 11 dimensions. There are other variations of string theory with more or less dimensions. 

It was the general concept of the dimensions I was asking about. I did not mean to start a hair-splitting about the amount of them.
I do know there are some theories that have more than 11.

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Always think of dimensions in terms of an independent variable or as a degree of freedom and you will be well on your way to correctly understand any physics theory that applies higher dimensions.

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3 hours ago, QuantumT said:

Some interpret the 11 dimensions of string theory as "other worlds" that could host life. I've met many spiritual people who use that as a scientific validation for the "unknown".

Theres the Many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics which was formulated in the 1950's but it has nothing to do with string theory or extra dimensions. 
Edward Witten's M-theory is an 11 dimensional interpretation of String Theory but its as far from "other worlds" as night and day. Keep in mind that extra dimensions are very easy to work with mathematically and when they pop up, its because equations fall into place with them. They're just additional variables and I'm yet to meet a mathematician or physicist who could imagine them or talk about them in any meaningful manner - this is reserved for non science people.

Quote

But as I've understood it, they are subatomic dimensions, that only exist within particles.

So which one is it? Just to get it settled once and for all...

String theories do predict super small spacial dimensions which are Planck size, many orders of magnitude smaller than any particle size. 
As to testing those, we are not experimentally capable of such tests. Too much energy needed besides we'd colapse matter into super tiny black holes in our particle accelerators if we ever were capable of building them to test such high energies/small scales. The most interesting part in 11 dimensional M-theory is that gravity not only can be neatly incorporated into the theory but it is an inevitable and intrinsic part of it whereas all other attempts at marrying GR and QM end up with contradictions and infinities.

Edited by koti
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