6 replaced http://upload.wikimedia.org/ with https://upload.wikimedia.org/ edited Mar 10 '17 at 9:42 The following image serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? The following image serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. n+m - dimensional spacetime diagram http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Spacetime_dimensionality.svg The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? The following image serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? 5 fixed formatting edit approved Dec 18 '12 at 14:09 m0nhawk 70511 gold badge77 silver badges2525 bronze badges The following image: serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? The following image: serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? The following image serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. n+m - dimensional spacetime diagram http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Spacetime_dimensionality.svg The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? 4 added image link. edited Dec 18 '12 at 13:53 Emilio Pisanty 89.3k2323 gold badges226226 silver badges462462 bronze badges The following image: serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? The following image: serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? The following image: serves to aid the reader in understanding the "privileged character" of $$3+1$$-spacetime. The wikipedia article on spacetime, and the sub-article "The priveleged character of $$3+1$$-dimensional spacetime" in particular, made me think a bit about the possibility that we might live in a non-integer amount of spatial and/or time dimensions. The notion of attaching a non-negative real number to a metric space has at least mathematically already been described by such concepts as "Hausdorff Dimension" and "Minkowski-Bouligand Dimension". This may sound silly/ignorant/absurd to professional practicing theoretical physicists. To me (a layman), however, it doesn't sound much stranger than the idea of wrapping up six extra dimensions (which is, from what I understand, considered to be a serious possibility by those who study $$10$$-dimensional String Theory) into intricate shapes called "Calabi-Yau Manifolds". Has any research on $$(a +b)$$-dimensional spacetime (where $$a,b \in \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$$) ever been done? If so, what where the findings? If not, why not? 3 added link; edited Dec 18 '12 at 10:52 Qmechanic♦ 111k1212 gold badges214214 silver badges13141314 bronze badges 2 removed greeting; retagged; edited Mar 22 '12 at 18:02 Qmechanic♦ 111k1212 gold badges214214 silver badges13141314 bronze badges Tweeted twitter.com/#!/StackPhysics/status/161002588450463744 occurred Jan 22 '12 at 8:29 Post Migrated Here from theoreticalphysics.stackexchange.com occurred Jan 21 '12 at 21:55 1 asked Jan 21 '12 at 18:26 Max Muller 51811 gold badge33 silver badges1414 bronze badges