--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Branes also opened up a whole new way of…" description: "\"“Branes also opened up a whole new way of thinking about how our three-dimensional world might relate to the extra spatial dimensions of string theory...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg" --- # Branes also opened up a whole new way of thinking about… ![“Branes also opened up a whole new way of thinking about how our three-dimensional world might relate to the extra spatial dimensions of string theory. Some of the branes that Polchinsky discovered are three-dimensional. By piling up three-dimensional branes, you get a three-dimensional world with…” quote by Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg) > ““Branes also opened up a whole new way of thinking about how our three-dimensional world might relate to the extra spatial dimensions of string theory. Some of the branes that Polchinsky discovered are three-dimensional. By piling up three-dimensional branes, you get a three-dimensional world with whatever symmetries you like, floating in a higher-dimensional world. Could our three-dimensional universe be such a surface in a higher-dimensional world? This is a big idea, and it makes a possible connection to a field of research called brane worlds, in which our universe is seen as a surface floating in a higher-dimensional universe.”” [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The concept suggests our universe could be a three‑dimensional surface (a brane) embedded in higher dimensions, offering a new way to link observable physics with extra dimensions. **In simple terms:** Our world might be a floating surface in higher dimensions. Key Takeaway Explore brane‑world models for unifying physics. Themes theory extra dimensions unification cosmology Mood curious speculative Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - Research proposals - university seminars - popular science articles Key Concepts String theory brane dynamics dimensional reduction Questions to Reflect On - How could we detect evidence of extra dimensions? - What implications would a brane world have for cosmology? A Different Perspective Complex math limits empirical testing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) [Brane Worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brane-worlds-3571236/) [Branes Dimensional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branes-dimensional-3571240/) [Called Brane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-brane-3571239/) [Dimensional Branes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensional-branes-3571238/) [String theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/string-theory/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory Branes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-branes-3571237/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“This unification of forces and motion has a simple consequence. In a particle theory, you can freely add all kinds of forces, so there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/this-unification-of-forces-and-motion-has-a-simple-consequence-in-a/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Some string theorists prefer to believe that string theory is too arcane to be understood by human beings, rather than consider the possibility that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/some-string-theorists-prefer-to-believe-that-string-theory-is-too/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Finiteness is not the only example in string theory of a conjecture that is widely believed but so far unproved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/finiteness-is-not-the-only-example-in-string-theory-of-a-conjecture/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Both loop quantum gravity and string theory assert that there is an atomic structure to space. In the next two chapters we shall see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/both-loop-quantum-gravity-and-string-theory-assert-that-there-is-an/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“This tells us that M theory, if it exists, cannot describe a world in which space os continuous and one can pack an infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/this-tells-us-that-m-theory-if-it-exists-cannot-describe-a-world-in/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Noncommutative geometry has turned up in several approaches to quantum gravity, including string theory, DSR, and loop quantum gravity. But none of these capture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/noncommutative-geometry-has-turned-up-in-several-approaches-to/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“In string theory, the situation is very different. The law of motion dictates the laws of the forces. This is because all forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/in-string-theory-the-situation-is-very-different-the-law-of-motion/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Louis and I worked on two projects. In the first we tried to formulate a gravitational theory based on the dynamics of interacting loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/louis-and-i-worked-on-two-projects-in-the-first-we-tried-to-formulate/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Basically, string theory is the development of this visionary idea in a context of a fixed background of space and time. Loop quantum gravity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/basically-string-theory-is-the-development-of-this-visionary-idea-in/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Just like an ordinary guitar string, a fundamental string can vibrate in different modes. And it is these different modes of vibration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/just-like-an-ordinary-guitar-string-a-fundamental-string-can-vibrate/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The subject of this chapter is string theory, and I begin it with these reflections for two reasons. First, because the main thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-subject-of-this-chapter-is-string-theory-and-i-begin-it-with/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The loop approach to quantum gravity is now a thriving field of research. Many of the older ideas, such as supergravity and the study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-loop-approach-to-quantum-gravity-is-now-a-thriving-field-of/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Here's a simplified version of what the Stanford group did. They started with a much-studied kind of string theory-a flat four-dimensional spacetime with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/here-s-a-simplified-version-of-what-the-stanford-group-did-they/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Every string theory that's been written down says the speed of light is universal. But other ideas about quantum gravity predict the speed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/every-string-theory-that-s-been-written-down-says-the-speed-of-light/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Because string theory is such a high-risk venture—unsupported by experiment, though very generously supported by the academic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/because-string-theory-is-such-a-high-risk-venture-unsupported-by/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) ## More by Lee Smolin > [“This unification of forces and motion has a simple consequence. In a particle theory, you can freely add all kinds of forces, so there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/this-unification-of-forces-and-motion-has-a-simple-consequence-in-a/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“One field Faraday studied was the electric field. This is not a number but a vector, which we may visualize as an arrow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/one-field-faraday-studied-was-the-electric-field-this-is-not-a-number/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“It is interesting to note that the quantum-mechanical revolution was made by a virtually orphaned generation of scientists. Many members of the generation above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/it-is-interesting-to-note-that-the-quantum-mechanical-revolution-was/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“In fact, the particle-antiparticle annihilation and the closing of the string is necessary, if the theory is to be consistent with relativity, meaning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/in-fact-the-particle-antiparticle-annihilation-and-the-closing-of-the/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Every string theory that's been written down says the speed of light is universal. But other ideas about quantum gravity predict the speed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/every-string-theory-that-s-been-written-down-says-the-speed-of-light/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Unfortunately, no one has ever successfully postulated a super-symmetry holding between two known particles. Instead, in all the supersymmetric theories the numbers of particles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/unfortunately-no-one-has-ever-successfully-postulated-a-super/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Those who do good science do so because they choose problems that are suited to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/those-who-do-good-science-do-so-because-they-choose-problems-that-are/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Here's a simplified version of what the Stanford group did. They started with a much-studied kind of string theory-a flat four-dimensional spacetime with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/here-s-a-simplified-version-of-what-the-stanford-group-did-they/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The current crisis in particle physics springs from the fact that the theories have gone beyond the standard model in the last thirty years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-current-crisis-in-particle-physics-springs-from-the-fact-that-the/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“By the time I began my study of physics in the early 1970s, the idea of unifying gravity with the other forces was as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/by-the-time-i-began-my-study-of-physics-in-the-early-1970s-the-idea/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“These two discoveries, of relativity and of the quantum, each required us to break definitively with Newtonian physics. However, in spite of great progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/these-two-discoveries-of-relativity-and-of-the-quantum-each-required/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“So the challenge for any quantum theory of gravity is to give us a deeper understanding of Bekenstein's entropy and Hawking's temperature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/so-the-challenge-for-any-quantum-theory-of-gravity-is-to-give-us-a/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Problem 1: Combine general relativity and quantum theory into a single theory that can claim to be the complete theory of nature. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/problem-1-combine-general-relativity-and-quantum-theory-into-a-single/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The loop approach to quantum gravity is now a thriving field of research. Many of the older ideas, such as supergravity and the study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-loop-approach-to-quantum-gravity-is-now-a-thriving-field-of/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“During the life of a black hole, it will pull in huge amounts of matter, carrying huge amounts of intrinsic information. At the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/during-the-life-of-a-black-hole-it-will-pull-in-huge-amounts-of/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) [Explore all 114 Lee Smolin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) ## More Big idea quotes > [I am not going to make promises I can't keep. I am not going to talk about big ideas like single-payer and then not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-not-going-to-make-promises-i-can-t-keep-i-am-not-going-to-talk/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I really like Kickstarter because you don't have to be a Medici to fund the arts and sciences or to get behind a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gansky/i-really-like-kickstarter-because-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-medici-to/) [Lisa Gansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gansky/) > [Believe in something larger than yourself... get involved in the big ideas of your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/believe-in-something-larger-than-yourself-get-involved-in-the-big/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [“You want the story of my life? Big ideas, small results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-stanwyck/you-want-the-story-of-my-life-big-ideas-small-results/) [Barbara Stanwyck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-stanwyck/) > [It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/it-takes-a-big-idea-to-attract-the-attention-of-consumers-and-get/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [The only big ideas I've ever had came from daydreaming, but modern life keeps people from daydreaming. Every moment of the day your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maccready/the-only-big-ideas-i-ve-ever-had-came-from-daydreaming-but-modern/) [Paul MacCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maccready/) > [You will never win fame and fortune unless you invent big ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/you-will-never-win-fame-and-fortune-unless-you-invent-big-ideas/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-laugh-at-me-because-i-use-big-words-but-if-you-have-big-ideas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the big ideas for getting us onto a lower carbon trajectory involve a lot of people doing a lot of work, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-big-ideas-for-getting-us-onto-a-lower-carbon-trajectory/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I've never been shy about big ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-x-suarez/i-ve-never-been-shy-about-big-ideas/) [Francis X. Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-x-suarez/) > [“The path to success involves two parts. Part One is all about imagination and dreaming up a big idea. Part Two is all about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-clark/the-path-to-success-involves-two-parts-part-one-is-all-about/) [Clay Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-clark/) > [You never know when some small thing will lead to a big idea. Travel is very inspirational - but it's in the ordinary that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/you-never-know-when-some-small-thing-will-lead-to-a-big-idea-travel/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [The job of the leader is to get the big ideas right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/the-job-of-the-leader-is-to-get-the-big-ideas-right/) [David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/) > [“There is a current perception is that science has overtaken Philosophy and in effect rendered Philosophy irrelevant. Science, when sufficiently abstracted, approaches Philosophy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golway/there-is-a-current-perception-is-that-science-has-overtaken/) [Tom Golway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golway/) > [I always tell people that revelling in big ideas for me is kind of like an antidote to existential angst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/i-always-tell-people-that-revelling-in-big-ideas-for-me-is-kind-of/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) [Browse all 254 Big idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Branes also opened up a whole new way of thinking about how our three-dimensional world might relate to the extra spatial dimensions of string theory. Some of the branes that Polchinsky discovered are three-dimensional. By piling up three-dimensional branes, you get a three-dimensional world with whatever symmetries you like, floating in a higher-dimensional world. Could our three-dimensional universe be such a surface in a higher-dimensional world? This is a big idea, and it makes a possible connection to a field of research called brane worlds, in which our universe is seen as a surface floating in a higher-dimensional universe.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee Smolin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of-thinking-about-how-our-three/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big idea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of-thinking-about-how-our-three/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/lee-smolin-4171_big-idea_branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of_2008046.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Branes also opened up a whole new way of thinking about how our three-dimensional world might relate to the…” — Lee Smolin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lee Smolin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Branes also opened up a whole...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of-thinking-about-how-our-three/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/branes-also-opened-up-a-whole-new-way-of-thinking-about-how-our-three/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```