The Effect of a Fifth Large-scale Space-time Dimension on the Conservation of Energy in a Four Dimensional Universe

The effect of introducing a fifth large-scale space-time dimension to the equations of orbital dynamics was analysed in an earlier paper by the authors. The results showed good agreement with the observed flat rotation curves of galaxies. This analysis did not require the modification of Newtonian dynamics, but rather only their restatement in a five dimensional framework. The same analysis derived a parameter ar , which plays an important role in the restated equations of orbital dynamics, and suggested a value for ar of 1.2 × 10 ms which is remarkably similar to the MOND constant a0. In this companion paper, the principle of conservation of energy is restated within the same five-dimensional framework. The resulting analysis provides an alternative route to estimating the value of ar , without reference to the equations of orbital dynamics, and based solely on key cosmological constants and parameters, including the gravitational constant, G. The same analysis suggests that the inverse square law of gravity may itself be due to the conservation of energy at the boundary between a four-dimensional universe and a fifth large-scale space-time dimension.