Possible to visualize anything other than the 3 spatial dimensions?

[Universe_Man]

Is it not possible to visualize anything other than the 3 spatial dimensions? why not?

 

[Tide]

I assume you're asking whether it's possible to visualize "objects" whose dimensionality is GREATER than 3. The short answer is "no."

Even ignoring the question of how physics would work in four dimensions (requisite for addressing the question of visualization) the best you can do is to mathematically project the object onto a three or two dimensional subspace.

Of course, you can't have a true appreciation of what an elephant looks like by merely observing its shadows. You can get a better appreciation using photographs but you're using your 3D experience to accomplish that. We have no such experience in 4, 5 or higher dimensions.

 

[kmarinas86]

Is it not possible to visualize anything other than the 3 spatial dimensions? why not?

We can visualize in 3 spatial dimensions and a number of time dimensions. What if we say that each clock that runs differently has a different time dimension? Just as things can be larger or smaller on the three axes of space, things cover either a larger or smaller time dimension than something else. how about it?

 

[Moo Of Doom]

We can visualize in 3 spatial dimensions and a number of time dimensions. What if we say that each clock that runs differently has a different time dimension? Just as things can be larger or smaller on the three axes of space, things cover either a larger or smaller time dimension than something else. how about it?

Things that have existed for a long time take up more space in the time dimension than things that have only been around since recently. Clocks running at different rates don't require separate time dimensions, because they all do one thing: measure the single existing time dimension. That's like saying a ruler marked in inches takes up different dimensions than one marked in centimeters.

 

[daawnho]

Would you say that "inhabitants" of a dimension can only "visualize" ,even if only in theory, the dimensions prior to it? Third dimensional beings can visualize second dimensional beings because they understand the concepts of the governing laws of that dimension.

Or should I go back to lurking? :|