Non-technical Explanation of Anti De Sitter Space
This non-technical explanation first defines the terms used in the introductory material of this entry. Then, it briefly sets forth the underlying idea of a general relativity-like spacetime. Then it discusses how de Sitter space describes a distinct variant of the ordinary spacetime of general relativity (called Minkowski space) related to the cosmological constant, and how anti de Sitter space differs from de Sitter space. It also explains that Minkowski space, de Sitter space and anti-de Sitter space, as applied to general relativity, can all be thought of as five dimensional versions of spacetime. Finally, it offers some caveats that describe in general terms how this non-technical explanation fails to capture the full detail of the concept that is found in the mathematics.
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