Abstract
In the 1920s Kaluza and Klein achieved an elegant unified theory of gravitation and electromagnetism by assuming that spacetime is really 5-dimensional. Their approach has since been extended to even higher dimensions in an effort to provide a geometrical unification of all the fundamental interactions. Any such scheme must answer the obvious objection emphasized by Einstein: Why, then, does spacetime appear to be only 4-dimensional? This paper provides a semihistorical introduction to Kaluza-Klein unification on a level accessible to those with a basic knowledge of general relativity and particle physics, and examines the progress made in answering Einstein's, and related, objections.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 863-872 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | American Journal of Physics |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1985 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Physics and Astronomy(all)