Can something be real in another dimension, but not in this one? (page 2)

Elsewhere

I'm afraid that people are assigning too much mystery and mysticism to the word "dimension" and do not really understand what a dimension is.

"Dimensions" are nothing more than a coordinate system used in math.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimention

JeffT

Elsewhere beat me to it. We need a definition of "dimension" before the question can be answered. The first question is: "Are other space-time continiuums real or mathmatical constructs?"

changeling

Do 2 dimensional creatures see us? If not, we are not real to them.

Are there 4 dimensional creatures that can see us but we cannot see them? I don't know, I've never seen one. :)

recovering

hmm Many scientists (including Einstein) define a fourth dimension as time

VoidEater

Yes, taking the terms at face value.

When you talk about "this dimension", I take it to mean "the three spatial dimensions we typically are aware of".

We only percieve three spatial dimensions. Sometimes we tend to conceptualize only in two (maps comes to mind) and sometimes have trouble envisioning only one. Regardless of whether additional dimensions exist, our context is three.

String theory posits more dimensions than these three.

We would have trouble observing anything that exists only in one or two dimensions (perhaps it would be impossible to observe anything in any single dimension, whereas something in two dimensions could become observable with the proper orientation).

Mathematically, numbers describe things that exist in a variety of dimensions, so we have a way of dealing with non-3 dimensional artifacts at least in an abstract way. They are "real" in a way, but perhaps not in the way the OP means.

Artifacts and positions of currently observable artifacts are constantly changing through the fourth dimension of time. They do not cease to exist merely because we cannot see them in their former positions; they can be said to be displaced in the fourth dimension. They are still real although we may not be able to directly observe them.

I would say that anything "real" in any dimension is "real" in all dimensions, just not necessarily observable - whether it only exists in dimensions fewer than our typical three, or more. We would need a new vocabulary to grapple with things that change state, such as artifacts that in fact cease to exist in our present (but still exist along the time axis).

MsDucky

"The fifth dimension is associated with paranormal activity". It's, also, a name of a music group. This page is a trip: http://www.burlingtonnews.net/talk-dimensiongravity.html

It's not my thing; so I can't get into it all.

Can something be real in another dimension, but not in this one?

frankiespeakin

Satanus