Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (2024)

Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (1)

Time is the fourth dimension, other than the three dimensions of space. Time makes change possible or else we would be living in a static universe.

Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (2)

Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (3)

The time has come for you to question the very nature of time. Can time be considered to be a fundamental physical dimension, on par with the space dimensions? If it is indeed so, then why can’t we travel back and forth in time, just as we move through the space dimensions?

What is Time?

Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (4)

Time is our way of keeping track of changes that are constantly happening in the universe. Time arises due to the dynamic nature of the universe or one could say, that the dynamism is possible, because there is time.

In a way (without implying any creationist overtones), you could say that time must have been invented, so that all things do not happen at the same moment and space was made, so that all things do not happen at the same position! By time, we mean a series of changes or events that occur. Those events that happen periodically, like the rising and setting of the Sun, the rotation and revolution of the Earth, around the Sun are used as references to calibrate and measure time. Our clocks are synchronized with these periodically repeating events to keep track of time. So in a way, time is felt or understood, only as a result of changes in the material world we perceive. To put it simply, time is change.

What Does a Dimension Mean?

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A dimension is a degree of freedom of a system. In simple words, it is the number of ways or directions in which change can take place in a system.

Imagine an ant walking on a very thin thread. The width of the thread is such that it can either move forward or backward on the thread, it cannot move sideways. That is, its freedom of movement is restricted to one dimension. It has one degree of freedom and therefore one dimension. Similarly, an ant moving on a flat disk can move straight or sideways but not up and down, so its degrees of freedom is two. Hence it’s moving on a two dimensional object.

Now imagine a flying ant like ‘atom ant’, it can move straight ahead or back, sideways, as well as up and down. Its degree of freedom is three, so it’s moving as we all do in three space dimensions because the degrees of freedom are three.

How is Time the Fourth Dimension?

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However, time as a dimension is unique and different from other space dimensions. In space dimension, you can move ahead and backwards, there is no restriction on that. Conversely, in time, you can only move in one direction. In time, you cannot move backwards, only forward. This has far reaching implications which we will discuss further, but first let us understand how Einstein’s special relativity theory changed our perceptions of space and time.

Einstein and the Unification of Space Time

Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (7)

In 1905, a Swiss patent clerk, Albert Einstein put forth a theory called special relativity which dealt the fatal blow to the old established bastion of Newtonian mechanics, which had the perception of an ‘absolute time’. The theory revolutionized the way we see nature and the universe.

The basic postulate of special relativity is that no information can travel faster than the velocity of light in vacuum and it is constant.

The second postulate is that all laws of the physical world should remain the same in any inertial reference frame. By inertial reference frame, we mean a co-ordinate system of reference moving at a constant velocity or which is stationary. Any other co-ordinate system moving with constant velocity with respect to a co-ordinate system at rest is also an inertial reference frame.

Newton’s mechanics had the concept of absolute time. That is, no matter which reference frame people are using, their clocks if compared show the same time. Special relativity changed this perception. The necessity that the speed of light should be constant forces us to abandon the absoluteness of time! That is, different observers in different reference frames show different times in their watches, but the laws of physics will remain the same. In fact the faster you move in space, the slower you move in time. This is often termed as time dilation. Time is not absolute, it is relative.

This forced the world to abandon the concept of separate ideas of space and time and a single unified concept of spacetime came into existence. Some found it in Einstein’s name itself. ‘Ein’ means ‘one’ in German. Split up his name as ‘ EIN+ST+EIN’, ST meaning space time. If you see, it literally means ‘one space time’; just a lucky coincidence one would say! Time was realized as the 4th dimension.

Let us try to understand what time dilation is. We are all continuously moving not just in three dimensional space but in four dimensional spacetime. Consider a racing car moving on an absolutely straight race track at a constant velocity. It is moving in one dimension and takes some time to reach the finish line. Now consider that it’s trying to reach the finish line, but on an oblique path. Its velocity is now distributed over two dimensions and therefore it’s taking longer for the car to cover the same distance. Its velocity in the original one dimension has reduced.

In a similar way, all objects in the real world are moving in a four dimensional spacetime, at a constant velocity as that of light. Sounds astounding but it’s true. Only the velocity is distributed over dimensions and most of it is in the time dimension.

When the objects are at rest, they are moving only in the time dimension. Now when they start moving, their velocity increases in the three space dimensions, and therefore it slows down in the time dimension. Therefore, the faster you move in the three space dimensions, the slower you go in the time dimension. This causes time dilation. This is a bit difficult to understand, but if you give it adequate time to sink in, it’s simple.

The Arrow of Time

The uniqueness of time dimension is that you can travel only forward in it, not backward. This fact has profound implications. It protects causality, that is the law of cause and effect. That is, cause should precede effect and it should not be the other way round. This irreversibility of time is inbuilt through the concept of entropy.

If you study thermodynamics, you will come across the law that entropy or disorder in the universe always increases, never can it decrease. You can understand the law of entropy, by just observing the irreversible nature of natural phenomena. That is, a cup falling down and breaking, can never be restored to the same condition, with every atom in place, as it was. The irreversibility implied by entropy could be described by the popular line from the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, which says: All the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again! For every system, disorder always increases. Entropy increase is unidirectional, just as the unidirectionality of time. Thus it is no coincidence that the thermodynamical arrow of time and the arrow of time flow, point in the same direction, as they both preserve causality. As a consequence, traveling back in time impossible, as it would violate causality and the law of entropy. However, special relativity does allow for the possibility of time travel to the future.

Creatures living in a two dimensional flat world will find it difficult to imagine what a three dimensional world would look like. Similarly, we, living in a world of three space dimensions find it impossible to imagine four dimensional spacetime! Still, through many indirect experimental tests the idea of four dimensional space time has been tested beyond doubt.

Concept of time as the fourth dimension is very subtle and elusive. I hope the time you have spent reading this article has lifted the veil over the mystery of time just enough, for you to investigate it further.

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Does the Fourth Dimension of Time Exist? What You Need to Know (2024)

FAQs

Why can't we understand the 4th Dimension? ›

Physicists work under the assumption that there are at least 10 dimensions, but the majority of us will never "see" them. Because we only know life in 3-D, our brains don't understand how to look for anything more.

Can you move through time in the 4th Dimension? ›

In a four-dimensional space which is determined and self-consistent, time travel is logically possible, but time travelers are unable to alter the past or future, and must journey through space and time to reach their destination.

Is time an illusion from the 4th Dimension? ›

The currently accepted view of physics is that time is as real as space. Time is sometimes thought of as 'just' the fourth dimension, but it seems as though it is somehow different from the three dimensions of space. For a start, it appears to flow in only one direction.

Did Einstein believe in 4 dimensions? ›

We see the world around us in three dimensions. Einstein predicted a fourth which he called space/time. He theorized energy from colliding black holes causes gravitational waves that pass through objects without changing.

Which is the 5th dimension? ›

In that case, a fifth dimension would be an extra dimension of space. Such a dimension was proposed independently by physicists Oskar Klein and Theodor Kaluza in the 1920s. They were inspired by Einstein's theory of gravity, which showed that mass warped four-dimensional space-time.

What did Einstein say about the 4th dimension? ›

According to Einstein , you need to describe where you are not only in three-dimensional space — length, width and height — but also in time. Time is the fourth dimension.

Can we experience the 4th dimension? ›

Unfortunately, no. You can, however, get a glimpse of the fourth dimension through an optical illusion called the Necker cube (labeled A in the figure below). There are two ways to interpret this shape: as a box oriented slightly left and down (B), or as its mirror image (C).

Can we feel the 4th dimension? ›

Mathematically, we can describe the 4th dimension but we may never experience it in the physical realm. Even so, that hasn't stopped us from looking for evidence of higher dimensions. One model which helps us conceive of it easier and understand it better is a tesseract or hypercube. This is a cube within a cube.

How do you travel to the fourth dimension? ›

There is not a 4th spatial dimension in physics. Spacetime is four-dimensional, but it there is no defined "4th dimension" in which you can travel, as if it were some kind of secret passage. As is, physics do NOT permit travel to past in any way. However due to relativity, it is possible to "travel to the future".

Is the 4th dimension of a tesseract time? ›

In A Wrinkle in Time, the fourth dimension is time, and the fifth dimension is a tesseract — a portal through space and time. In geometry, a tesseract is a shape.

In which dimension we are living? ›

In everyday life, we inhabit a space of three dimensions – a vast 'cupboard' with height, width and depth, well known for centuries. Less obviously, we can consider time as an additional, fourth dimension, as Einstein famously revealed.

What dimension is time manipulation? ›

Time Manipulation: Manipulate/Control the dimension of time (the fourth dimension) and control its flow. Warp Manipulation: The user can manipulate the space-time warps. Wormhole Manipulation: Wormholes connect two points of space-time.

Is gravity and time the 4th dimension? ›

Three spatial dimensions are visible all around us--up/down, left/right, forward/backward. Add time to the mix, and the result is a four-dimensional blending of space and time known as spacetime. Thus, we live in a four-dimensional universe.

Is time created by the brain? ›

"While humans have sensory organs designed to perceive lights of vision or pitch of sounds, there is no specific organ for perception of time," Hayashi explains. "That means, our sense of time is probably the product of our brain activity."

What does the Bible say about the 4th dimension? ›

The Bible also contains examples of appearances which also are easily explained with the use of the Fourth Dimension. Twice, Jesus entered the room of the disciples without using a door (John 20:19-23, 26-29). Entering a room through its walls is only possible via the Fourth Dimension.

What is the 10th dimension like? ›

In the tenth and final dimension, we arrive at the point in which everything possible and imaginable is covered. Beyond this, nothing can be imagined by us lowly mortals, which makes it the natural limitation of what we can conceive in terms of dimensions.

What is 11th dimension? ›

What is 11th dimension? The 11th dimension is a characteristic of space-time that has been proposed as a possible answer to questions that arise in superstring theory. The theory of superstrings involves the existence of nine dimensions of space and one dimension of time for a total of 10 dimensions.

What is the 11th dimension called? ›

11th dimension may refer to: Supergravity, a field theory that combines the principles of supersymmetry and general relativity.

What is the 100th dimension? ›

A 100 dimensional simplex (triangle) has 101 pointy corners and 101 faces (as a 99D simplex), becoming more like a cube. The angle between edges starts off at 60 degrees in 2D, but gets closer to 90 degrees in very high-D. The volume is more evened out than the 100-cube, but still concentrated in the corners.

Who discovered the 4th dimension? ›

The idea of adding a fourth dimension began with Jean le Rond d'Alembert's "Dimensions" being published in 1754, was followed by Joseph-Louis Lagrange in the mid-1700s, and culminated in a precise formalization of the concept in 1854 by Bernhard Riemann.

What is the 4th dimension in philosophy? ›

In philosophy, four-dimensionalism (also known as the doctrine of temporal parts) is the ontological position that an object's persistence through time is like its extension through space.

What is the 4th Dimension human? ›

The fourth is the dimension of consciousness or spirit. In other words the feeling of being a person with your own values, ideas and beliefs. Each of these dimensions must be supported, developed and integrated in order for us to function to our highest potential.

Can our eyes see 4D? ›

We are 3D creatures, living in a 3D world but our eyes can show us only two dimensions. The depth that we all think we can see is merely a trick that our brains have learned; a byproduct of evolution putting our eyes on the front of our faces.

What is in the sixth dimension? ›

The Sixth Dimension is the final realm and highest plane of existence in the Multiverse whose inhabitants exist beyond time and are capable of things beyond the imagination of most living beings.

How powerful is a 4th dimensional being? ›

4D beings would be able to do exactly the same things with our universe. These beings would have the ability to see what lies inside objects in our 3D universe. They can easily see each and every organ inside your body.

Is it possible to travel time? ›

According to NASA, time travel is possible, just not in the way you might expect. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity says time and motion are relative to each other, and nothing can go faster than the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second. Time travel happens through what's called “time dilation.”

What is a 6d cube called? ›

It can be called a hexeract, a portmanteau of tesseract (the 4-cube) with hex for six (dimensions) in Greek. It can also be called a regular dodeca-6-tope or dodecapeton, being a 6-dimensional polytope constructed from 12 regular facets.

What is a 5d cube called? ›

It can be called a penteract, a portmanteau of the Greek word pénte, for 'five' (dimensions), and the word tesseract (the 4-cube). It can also be called a regular deca-5-tope or decateron, being a 5-dimensional polytope constructed from 10 regular facets.

What is the 26th dimension? ›

In bosonic string theory, spacetime is 26-dimensional, while in superstring theory it is 10-dimensional, and in M-theory it is 11-dimensional. In order to describe real physical phenomena using string theory, one must therefore imagine scenarios in which these extra dimensions would not be observed in experiments.

What are 12 dimensions? ›

A 12-Dimensional Space is a space in which each point requires a duodecuplet of numbers to describe its position. This makes it a hyperrealm. A verse with twelve dimensions is called a dodecealmverse.

What are 10 dimensions? ›

10 dimensions are used to describe superstring theory (6D hyperspace + 4D), 11 dimensions can describe supergravity and M-theory (7D hyperspace + 4D), and the state-space of quantum mechanics is an infinite-dimensional function space. The concept of dimension is not restricted to physical objects.

What is the 27th dimension? ›

The 27th Dimension features the works of digital and video-based artists exploring physical and material relationships in digital art through sculpture, video and performance.

What is the 5th dimension time? ›

In the book and film, time travel — across the 91 billion light-years that the observable universe is thought to span — is made possible by the existence of the fifth dimension, which is imagined as a sort of wormhole that allows characters to move through spacetime.

What is the 6th dimension of time? ›

It presents the 6th dimension as the 'phase space' of the set of parallel universes resulting from our universe's unique initial conditions (the big bang).

Does light travel in 4th dimension? ›

Light's velocity is 3x10^8 m/s. If the photon moved at all in the fourth dimension, it's velocity would no longer be 3x10^8 m/s, but something different. Ergo a photon must remain stationary in the fourth dimension.

How is time an illusion? ›

According to theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, time is an illusion: our naive perception of its flow doesn't correspond to physical reality. Indeed, as Rovelli argues in The Order of Time, much more is illusory, including Isaac Newton's picture of a universally ticking clock.

Can time exist without space? ›

There's no time without space

In short, the time you experience depends on your velocity through space as the observer. This works as outlined through Einstein's special relativity, a theory of how speed impacts mass, time, and space.

Why Einstein said time is an illusion? ›

Re: Why did Einstein say that time is an illusion? Einstein is referring to the apparent flow of time, that all space is 3 dimensional, changing in place over time, as opposed to 4 dimensional spacetime with equal ontological status of all events, not separated into being either past, present, or future.

Does time have memory? ›

Experience unfolds continuously in time, but we remember discrete sequences of events. In this issue of Nature Neuroscience, Montchal et al. describe brain activity patterns that predict how well people remember precisely when recent events occurred.

Is time Finite or infinite? ›

As a universe, a vast collection of animate and inanimate objects, time is infinite. Even if there was a beginning, and there might be a big bang end, it won't really be an end. The energy left behind will become something else; the end will be a beginning.

Can you comprehend the 4th Dimension? ›

Dimensions of spacetime are not things that you can “control” in any conceivable sense of the world. Not the first, not the second, not the third, and not the fourth. Humans can absolutely comprehend the fourth dimension.

What did Einstein say about the 4th Dimension? ›

According to Einstein , you need to describe where you are not only in three-dimensional space — length, width and height — but also in time. Time is the fourth dimension.

What is the 4th Dimension explained? ›

Definition of fourth dimension

noun. Physics, Mathematics. a dimension in addition to length, width, and depth, used so as to be able to employ geometrical language in discussing phenomena that depend on four variables: Time is considered a fourth dimension for locating points in space-time.

Has 4th Dimension been discovered? ›

The existence of a fourth dimension has long been theorized, but two teams of physicists have recently conducted a new experiment that proves that this dimension actually exists.

Can the human brain see in 4D? ›

We require atleast 2 eyes so that we can process the images and then perceive distance/depth. In a 4D world, our eyes can still, only perceive 2D and by combining multiple images, we will still only achieve 3D dimensions. We simply cannot perceive 4D.

What does the Bible say about the 4th Dimension? ›

The Bible also contains examples of appearances which also are easily explained with the use of the Fourth Dimension. Twice, Jesus entered the room of the disciples without using a door (John 20:19-23, 26-29). Entering a room through its walls is only possible via the Fourth Dimension.

How the fourth dimension was discovered? ›

The idea of adding a fourth dimension began with Jean le Rond d'Alembert's "Dimensions" being published in 1754, was followed by Joseph-Louis Lagrange in the mid-1700s, and culminated in a precise formalization of the concept in 1854 by Bernhard Riemann.

Who entered the 4th dimension? ›

'” Dalí was able to enter the fourth dimension with the help of astronomers and mystics as well as mathematicians. And he brought with him the fears of his age.

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