Edward Frenkel

Allegedly.

Observed, but that we can observe today, right?

So of course there are theories where there are some hidden dimensions as well.

Well, let's just say observed dimensions.

So this tabletop has two dimensions because you can have two axis, two coordinate axis.

X and Y, but then there is also a third one to describe the space of this room.

And then there's a time dimension.

So realistic theories of physics have to be

about spaces of three dimensions, or spacetimes of four dimensions.

But mathematically, we are just as interested in theories in 10 spacetime dimensions, or 11, or 25, or whatever, or infinite dimensional spaces.

So that's the difference.

On the other hand, I have to give it to the physicists.

We don't have the same satisfaction that they have of having their theories confirmed by an experiment.

We don't get to play with big machines like LHC in Geneva, a large hadron collider that recently discovered the Higgs boson and some other things.

For us, it's all like a mental exercise in some sense.

We prove things by using rules of logic.

And that's our way of confirming, experimental confirmation, if you will.

But I think I kind of envy a little bit my friends physicists that they get to experience this sort of big toys, you know, and play with them.

That's right.

Mathematics underpins physics, obviously.