Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Third Act of Interstellar

Spoilers. Obviously.

His take offers a good way to look at the much-criticized third act of Interstellar. Perhaps it'll even make you hate it less.

Via Business Insider.
ChaosEnginesays...

I read a really great explanation of n-dimensional space a while ago... trying to find it but the basics were:

If I have a point, that has 0 dimensions (note: not a point on a plane, just a dot).

if that point position changes, I have 1 dimension (a line)
if the line position changes, I have 2 dimensions (a square)
if the plane position changes, I have 3 dimensions (a cube)

Easy so far right? but if I take a view of time, then that cube (in fact, all of 3 dimensional space) is a dot again.

if the cube exist for 10 seconds, it has moved through time. Now we have a line in four-dimensional space.

Now here's where it gets tricky. Let's go back to the point and the line.
When we have 1 dimension, I can move the point along a line, but I cannot change the line. Think of it like a train on a single track. It can go back and forth, but the track doesn't change. If I want to change where the train goes, I need to move the track.

Same with the line. To move a line I need two dimensions.

And same with time. To change time, we need FIVE dimensions. With 4 you can only go along the time line (hell, we can only go one way). But if you want to change time, then time must be on a plane... a 5th dimension.

Send this Article to a Friend



Separate multiple emails with a comma (,); limit 5 recipients






Your email has been sent successfully!

Manage this Video in Your Playlists




notify when someone comments
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
  
Learn More