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AskScience: What do we call what holds multiple dimensions? (self.science)

submitted 1 year ago by ozoned to c/science

30 comments fedilink hide all child comments

In science we attempt to classify everything. And everything seems to be a subset of something else. Planet is a part of a solar system, solar system is a part of a galaxy, galaxy is part of the universe, universe is a part of our dimension, etc.

Obviously there are exceptions to this, rogue planets, but we still consider them contained.

I understand the idea of multidimensions is theoretical, but if they exist, do we have a name or even a theory what might contain them?

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[–] PinkOwls@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They are using the scifi-concept of dimension which has nothing to do with the mathematical or physical concept of dimension.

[–] liwott@nerdica.net 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@PinkOwls
I thought "dimension" in scifi was meant as "universe", like a parallel dimension is a parallel universe. What is the difference between the two?

[–] PinkOwls@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It sounds like you got it basically right, but now think about the sentence "the universe is a part of our dimension" which would mean "the universe is a part of our universe".

The scifi "dimension" is as meaningless as "plane of existence"; it just sounds nice when you want to explain things away in scifi. I mean, it seems to be easier in scifi to travel between those "dimensions" than between the Milky Way and any other galaxy in the visible universe.

[–] liwott@nerdica.net 1 points 1 year ago

The scifi "dimension" is as meaningless as "plane of existence"

Does not sound too meaningless to me, but I'm used to calling that a universe 😁

think about the sentence "the universe is a part of our dimension"

I'm trying ahah. But if you call the universe a dimension, which subpart of it do you call a universe? The observable universe maybe? I mean it makes sense to say that the observable universe is part of our universe. Still sounds strange the way it is presented by OP.

[–] liwott@nerdica.net 1 points 1 year ago

@PinkOwls
The math/physical concept of dimension does sometimes appear in scifi though, think about hyperspace.