h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Without doing any research whatsoever, I had always assumed to fifth dimension to be the concept of multiple time lines - If the 4th is an object moving through a set of fixed points, then would not the fifth be the capability for the same object to travel through an alternative set of fixed points depending on the 'outside' persepective?
Analogy, analogy... a train goes along a track (2nd dimension), a train goes over and around a hill (3rd dimension), the train track is a fixed object moving within a whole, being the earth (4th dimension), so the fifth dimension would be that whole deciding to allow the track itself to scuttle about across its surface while the train is still travelling along it.
Thats what I always thought anyway.

Sounds good. Just think of the different ways that a group of people experience the same event. There doesn't even need to be a whole other timeline, just a whole other observer. This would acount for not just a fifth dimension, but a good portion of the infinite dimensions some people seem so keen on.

Sorry, Bunny, that I missed an opportunity to respond to your comment.

As stated in the piece, the numbering system for dimensions is completely arbitrary, and makes sense only to those within the system who agree on the numbering.

If one accepts the 3 commonly perceived, physical dimensions and time as the first 4, then ANY additional dimension discovered would become number 5. It needn't be perceived as a physical dimension by us, though we would exist in it as well. It may be something else, like time.

It has even been suggested that time is possibly three-dimensional, also; which would bring us up to a minimum of 6!

OooOOooo, how very theoretical. I wonder if time in a three dimensional shape would account for our percieved sense of choice? (which doesnt strictly exist. True.)

Great question! I'll have to give this some thought!?!?