- #1
kochanskij
- 44
- 4
Is it possible to do general relativity but avoid the difficult mathematics of generalized coordinates, tensors, and computing the metric of a space-time manifold by using ordinary cartesian coordinates in a 5 dimensional space?
We can picture a curved 4 dimensional spacetime as being embedded in a Euclidean 5 dimensional space. Cartesian retangular coordinates would work in this Euclidean space. Then you could add a constraint that only points in that 5-D space that fall on the 4-D curved "hypersurface" are allowed.
We can picture a curved 4 dimensional spacetime as being embedded in a Euclidean 5 dimensional space. Cartesian retangular coordinates would work in this Euclidean space. Then you could add a constraint that only points in that 5-D space that fall on the 4-D curved "hypersurface" are allowed.