String Theory Put to the Test

secretsather writes to mention that scientists have come up with a definitive test that could prove or disprove string theory. The project is described as "Similar to the well known U.S. particle collider at Fermi Lab, the Large Hadron Collider, scheduled for November 2007, is expected to be the largest, and highest energy particle accelerator in existence; it will use liquid helium cooled superconducting magnets to produce electric fields that will propel particles to near light speeds in a 16.7 mile circular tunnel. They then introduce a new particle into the accelerator, which collides with the existing ones, scattering many other mysterious subatomic particles about."

Comments

10 I get -- but what is the 11th?

[KlaymenDK]

I'm rather curious about the 11th dimension. I used to think that anything beyond, oh, five dimensions was totally weird, but then I saw this [1] explanation --- but it only goes to 10.

So, what's going on in the 11th, or are these completely different sorts of dimensions? (I'm no scientist...)

[1]: http://www.tenthdimension.com/flash2.php

Re:The trick is projection

[cain]

Impossible to visualize? Yep. Not at all. You merely have to project one of the dimensions down so that you're only considering a 10-dimensional space. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 9-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 8-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 7-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 6-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 5-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 4-dimensional space. Easy.

Then just project that down so you're only considering a 3-dimensional space. Easy.

Re:The trick is projection

[cain]

Impossible to visualize? Yep. Not at all. You merely have to project one of the dimensions down so that you're only considering a 10-dimensional space. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 9-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 8-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 7-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 6-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 5-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 4-dimensional space. Easy. Then just project that down so you're only considering a 3-dimensional space. Easy.

Then just project that down so you're only considering a 2-dimensional space. Easy.