clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org

18 surfing through hyperspace
So complex is string theory that when a Nobel Prize—wining physicist was asked
to comment on the importance of Witten's work, he said that he could not
understand Witten's recent papers; therefore, he could not ascertain how brilliant
Witten is! 6
Recently, humanity's attempt to formulate a "theory of everything" includes
not only string theory but membrane theory, also known as M-theory. 7 In the
words of Edward Witten (whom Life magazine dubbed the sixth most influential
American baby boomer), "M stands for Magic, Mystery, or Membrane,
according to taste." In this new theory, life, the universe, and
everything may arise from the interplay of membranes, strings, and bubbles
in higher dimensions of spacetime. The membranes may take the form of
bubbles, be stretched out in two directions like a sheet of rubber, or wrapped
so tightly that they resemble a string. The main point to remember about
these advanced theories is that modern physicists continue to produce models
of matter and the universe requiring extra spatial dimensions.
Hypertime
In this book, I'm interested primarily in a fourth spatial dimension, although
various scientists have considered other dimensions, such as time, as a fourth
dimension. In this section, I digress and speak for a moment on time and
what it would be like to live outside the flow of time. Readers are encouraged
to consult my book Time: A Traveler's Guide for an extensive treatise on the
subject.
Einstein's theory of general relativity describes space and time as a unified 4-D
continuum called "spacetime." The 4-D continuum of Einstein's relativity in
which three spatial dimensions are combined with one dimension of time is
not the same as hyperspace consisting of four spatial coordinates. To best
understand this, consider yourself as having three spatial dimensions—height,
width, and breadth. You also have the dimension of duration—how long you
last. Modern physics views time as an extra dimension; thus, we live in a universe
having (at least) three spatial dimensions and one additional dimension
of time. Stop and consider some mystical implications of spacetime. Can
something exist outside of spacetime? What would it be like to exist outside of
spacetime? For example, Thomas Aquinas believed God to be outside of spacetime
and thus capable of seeing all of the universe's objects, past and future, in