Another theory on Hypercube Physics :)

After watching Hypercube, despite never having seen the original or Cube Zero, I came up with the following explanation.

Okay, first of all, the numbering of dimensions. Let's make one thing clear: time is *not* "the" fourth dimension. It's usually counted as such, but the numbering is completely arbitrary. I mean, what's the first dimension - height? or width? or depth? It's not like there's a standard for those things. :)

Second, what if the additional dimension used to construct the hypercube really is parallel universes? (or, better explanation, some universal constant of the underlying universe, generating different time "lines"?)

I can certainly see the military being interested in crossing between parallel universes at will :)

For the sake of this post, I'll refer to a shift in timelines as the "fourth" dimension.

Okay, so say you're able to build a cube and extend it fourth-dimensionally into other timelines - but your versions in the "neighboring" universes are doing exactly the same! So you have to anticipate this and build your cube so that it can "interface" with those neighboring cubes.

But because of the slight differences in the underlying universe, this interfacing process probably won't be a perfect fit .. or maybe the four-dimensional "distance" is subject to small natural variations or fluctuations, causing stuff like pushing rooms "through" each other .. explains everything but the pretty spinning thing, which I think was just put in for its deathtrapness. :)

Now, if we think of this fourth dimension not as the first, but second dimension of time (*time*lines), so that time and our additional dimension are related, then it makes sense that these proposed fluctuations might be able to affect the temporal point of connection as well, leading to fun stuff like temporal loops and different flow of time between rooms (nobody said alternative timelines had to move at the same pace). Just an idea.

Now, say that those fluctuations are unpredictable by themselves, but very well predictable on the average. By observing the change in the rooms around them, a clever inmate who knows about the cube's design could probably figure out the stress these fluctuations are putting on the cube interfaces, and how long they're able to last, explaining the number as well as the maths.

What do you think? Plausible or deranged ranting? :)

--feep

PS: A line has two ends. A square has four sides. A cube has six faces. A hyper cube would thus have only eight, interconnected rooms, and none of them would have a door that goes to itself, but on the other side. Parallel universes is the only explanation I can think of.