What is the four-dimensional space?

Modeling camera motion in four-dimensional space.

View the world in different dimensions changes the way we perceive everything around, including time and space. Think about the difference between two dimensions and three dimensions is easy, but what about the fourth? It is important to understand what you mean scientists and other researchers when they talk about different dimensions: our world has three spatial dimensions: the width, depth and height, and the fourth dimension may be time. Scientists many years doing research in trying to figure out what the fourth spatial dimension, however, due to the fact that observe a fourth dimension we can't, evidence of its existence is hard to find.

How many dimensions?

To better understand what seems to be the fourth dimension, let's take a closer look at what exactly makes the three dimensions three-dimensional and, in keeping with these ideas, think of what a fourth dimension. So length, width and height are the three dimensions of the observed world. All three measurements we can observe through empirical data, and also senses such as sight and hearing.

To Determine the position of points and vectors in three-dimensional space can be aligned with the reference point. the easiest to imagine a three-dimensional space as a three dimensional cube with three spatial axes that define the width, height and length of the cube. Axis move back and forth, up and down, left and right, together with the time dimension, which we do not see, but perceive. When comparing 3D and 4D, given the observation of three-dimensional spatial world, four-dimensional cube is the Tesseract – an object that moves in three dimensions, which we perceive in the fourth, which e can observe.

four-Dimensional cube (a tesseract) looks like this

four-Dimensional objects and the shadow

As Sciencing.com because three-dimensional beings cast a shadow on a two dimensional surface of a cube, this has led researchers to the assumption that four-dimensional objects cast three dimensional shadows. That's why you can observe «the shadow» in the three spatial dimensions, even when we directly observe four dimensions is impossible.

The Mathematician Henry Segerman from the University of Oklahoma has created and recorded their own 4-dimensional sculpture. Just as a three-dimensional object casts a two dimensional shadow, Segerman claimed that his sculptures are three-dimensional shadows of the fourth dimension. While these examples of shadows do not give direct methods of observation of the fourth dimension, they are a good indicator of how to think about the fourth dimension.

Shapes mathematics Henry Segerman look so

Mathematics is often cited the analogy of an ant walking on a sheet of paper, describing the boundaries of perception regarding measurements. An ant walking on the surface of the paper, can perceive only two dimensions, but this does not mean that the third dimension does not exist. It simply means that the ant can directly see only two dimensions and display the third dimension using arguments about these two dimensions. Similarly, people can reflect on the nature of the fourth dimension, not perceiving it directly.

four-Dimensional cube, the Tesseract is one of the examples of how three-dimensional world, described x, y and z may be expanded in the fourth. Mathematicians, physicists and other scientists can represent the vectors in the fourth dimension, using a four-dimensional vector that includes other variables, such as w. The geometry of the objects in the fourth dimension is more complex, as it includes 4-polytopes, which are four-dimensional figures. These objects show the difference between 3D and 4D images.

is There life in the fourth dimension?

How would the beings or lives in four dimensions, took scientists and other professionals for decades. In the story of Heinlein 1940 «the House that built Tim» it was about the construction of the building in the shape of a Tesseract. Writer cliff Pickover imagined four-dimensional creatures as «balloons Nude, constantly changing in size. These beings will seem to you disparate chunks of flesh, just as a two-dimensional world allows you to see only the cross section and the remains of the three-dimensional world.»

still from the animated series «Futurama», 15 series 7 season. Before you heroes in 2D

John Norton Department of history and philosophy of science of the University of Pittsburgh believes that it is possible to come to an understanding of the nature of the fourth dimension, asking questions about what makes one, two — and three-dimensional objects and phenomena as they are, extrapolating them into the fourth dimension. Creature living in the fourth dimension, can have such «stereovideo» described by Norton, to visualize four-dimensionalimages not being constrained to three dimensions.

However, just to answer the question of whether there are 4D beings today, nobody can. I believe that even the concept of 4D-space, fiercely debated in physical laboratories, although some theories such as string Theory and M-theory, use the existence of multiple dimensions to explain our Universe. It is also important to note that biologically 4d life can not exist. What do you think about this? Prisoedinyates to the discussion in the comments and members