Michio Kaku: The Multiverse Has 11 Dimensions | Big Think

Physicist Michio Kaku explains why other universes in the mulitverse could have many more dimensions—and could comprise Einstein's "Mind of God."
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Dr. Michio Kaku is the co-founder of string field theory, and is one of the most widely recognized scientists in the world today. He has written 4 New York Times Best Sellers, is the science correspondent for CBS This Morning and has hosted numerous science specials for BBC-TV, the Discovery/Science Channel. His radio show broadcasts to 100 radio stations every week. Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at the City College of New York (CUNY), where he has taught for over 25 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study as well as New York University (NYU).
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TRANSCRIPT:

Question: Are there only three dimensions in other universes or could there be more? (Submitted by Andre Lapiere)

Michio Kaku: Andre, we believe, though we cannot yet prove, that our multiverse of universes is 11-dimensional. So think of this 11-dimensional arena and in this arena there are bubbles, bubbles that float and the skin of the bubble represents an entire universe, so we’re like flies trapped on fly paper. We’re on the skin of a bubble. It’s a three dimensional bubble. The three dimensional bubble is expanding and that is called the Big Bang theory and sometimes these bubbles can bump into each other, sometimes they can split apart and that we think is the Big Bang. So we even have a theory of the Big Bang itself. Now you ask a question what about the dimensions of each bubble. Well in string theory—which is what I do for a living; that's my day job—in string theory we can have bubbles of different dimensions. The highest dimension is 11. You cannot go beyond 11 because universes become unstable beyond 11. If I write down the theory of a 13-, 15-dimensional universe it’s unstable and it collapses down to an 11-dimensional universe. But within 11 dimensions you can have bubbles that are 3 dimensional, 4-dimensional, 5-dimensional. These are membranes, so for short we call them branes. So these branes can exist in different dimensions and let’s say P represents the dimension of each bubble, so we call them p-branes. So a p-brane is a universe in different dimensions floating in a much larger arena, and this larger arena is the hyperspace that I talked about originally.

Also remember that each bubble vibrates, and each bubble vibrating creates music. The music of these membranes is the subatomic particles. Each subatomic particle represents a note on a vibrating string or vibrating membranes. So, believe it or not, we now have a candidate for the "Mind of God" that Albert Einstein wrote about for the last 30 years of his life. The "Mind of God" in this picture would be cosmic music resonating throughout 11-dimensional hyperspace.
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[dizza]

First 10 seconds: "Think of this eleven dimensional arena"
...That's a lot to ask from me man

[MarinOS]

go to options: change speed to 0.5
enjoy listening to stoned mr kaku

[jamesl]

To all you skeptics out there. Dr. Kaku is a mathematician.  He is simplifying concepts, theories, and formulas into words so that we non-mathematicians can begin to grasp these concepts.  Believe me, they would not be presenting any theories without some mathematically verifiable basis for them.  This does not mean that the formulas are complete, nor indisputable, just that they have a mathematical "proof"  that can be plugged into other known and more widely accepted formulas/equations.

[admiraladmirable]

"Think of this 11-dimensional arena"
uhmm, yes... I'll just do that...

[dirkm]

"you cannot go beyond 11" - thats even true for my guitar amp

[amitybronwen]

"The Music Of The Spheres". Fascinating. I love Michio Kaku.

[NWViewer]

So it seems to me from reading these comments that the one core truth is...
...what people don't understand, they won't believe.

[grumpyturtle]

I feel so smart after listening to this man speak.

[cwooley]

a pea brain is what I feel like when I try to wrap my head around string theroy

[IEDAeconomics]

Is it possible that we are conscious on higer dimensions but are not aware of it as we sit here?

[StevenZB]

The thought of cosmic music is fascinating. 
"Human beings, vegetables or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper" ~ Einstein

[jamesl]

I have come to understand that what some think of as dimensions are more accurately named "planes."   They exist simultaneously in the same relative space and affect each other.  Since science does not normally perceive these planes or believe they exist, they cannot consistently or credibly create any instrumentation to measure them here in the Material Plane.  Since these other planes are interactive with our own, much of the mathematics we use to try to explain phenomenon has problems because those equations do not take into consideration the "effects' of other planes on our own.

In order to explain away such factors to what we already think we know, we have created theories to try and account for these unknown factors.   This is demonstated by the creation of such theories/terms in the past such as The Four Elements, Eather, Phlogiston, Ectoplasm, Dark Matter, Anti-matter, Bosun-hicks particles, Astral Plane, Psychic Powers, and such.  Due to our incomplete understanding of the omniverse, these are all incomplete attempts to explain multiplanar forces with third-dimensional physics.

I have looked unsuccessfully to find Michio's list of Dimensions.  Here, in no particular order, I will present some of the Planes that I have determined.   These are my own, and I have no mathmatical proof to substantiate them, neither do I attempt to state that these are the only planes or that they are indeed fact, only my own consideration.
Material (third dimension), Hyperspace (the actual 4th dimension as if such a thing actually existed), Size, Light (aka the ghost plane), Alternity (alternate realities), Time, Thought.  Also 3 "forces" which exist and permeate all Planes:  Radiance/Aura, Vibration/harmonics (Michio's "Strings"), and one other which I have yet to quantify.

These planes all existed together before the bigbang and still exsist now as "overlapping" planes.  To visualize them, think of them in Set Theory.

Planar Laws are the laws of physics specific to that plane and may or may not be functional in other planes.  Cosmic Laws are functional in all planes.  Science has determined the mathematical Laws of Physics translated in words such as "Matter can be neither created or destroyed" ("only transmuted." is the actual addendum to establish it as Cosmic Law.)  Such is the historical vigor of mathematicians' efforts, that these Laws turn out to be Cosmic Laws as well.  Kudos!
  And these laws can be proven true in all instances here in the Material Plane.   All Cosmic and Planar laws can be expressed in mathematical equation format.   

Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors I have made in my statements.   They were written to explain concepts, not to appease the Grammar Police.

[kennethprice]

the truth is too big for our minds to comprehend

[nigrud]

I had the most weird dream last night about the "11/10ths dimension". I hav never heard anything about it before. I woke up and searched online and found this. From my understanding this dimension was a collection of flat planes that were all on top of each other. And in my dream I was on the earth but as I looked into the sky I could see a mess of flat planes and on each one different people and things were on each one. Almost like different channels on a tv. This is so weird to me my dream litterally kept telling me 11/10ths dimension.

[robertschlesinger]

Nice, concise explanation of the dimensionality of the multiverse, accessible even to a high school student.

[jimmygiles]

who knew the universe is like Spinal Tap - it goes to 11!!

[quorthon]

what is so amazing about michio, is for someone who has had hard time with life, and been lost for so long, I have forgotten the ways of physics, and the spark, or desire to learn and be educated again, has gone, then watching somebody like michio literally inspires me to take up physics and science again, he make's science fun and interesting...

[paytonwillis]

He melted my brain with his beautiful scientific words.

[TravisCollierMath]

I'm high as fuck. the universe is indeed 11-dimensional curveed hyperspace to account for gall-mann matrices and einstein field equations, although dark energy will need to be accounted for in quantum qravity

[Altivertis]

M-theory (or string theory) is absolutely AMAZING! In fact, our Academy has found it so inspiring that we have found ways to use it to better understand communication, personality, and so on. Thank you so much for your research, and sharing your science!