Incoming links: Length
A dimension in a system of units is something like length, weight or time, without considering how to assign numerical values ot them, which requires units of measurement such as the meter, kilogram or second.
Talking about dimensions can be useful when explaining new derived units without worrying about the exact units involved. See e.g. this table: en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lumen_(unit)&oldid=1233810964#SI_photometric_units
In the Galilean transformation, there are two separate invariants that two inertial frame of reference always agree on between two separate events:
- time
- length, given by the Pythagorean theorem
However, in special relativity, neither of those are invariant separately, since space and time are mixed up together.
Instead, there is a new unified invariant: the spacetime-interval, given by:
Note that this distance can be zero for two events separated.