![Manifold Image source: Jitse Nielsen Manifold Image source: Jitse Nielsen](http://www.timeone.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Manifold-e1403875877126.jpg)
Classification: concept
Chapter: The Mysterious Manifold
In mathematics (and so in physics) a manifold is a space of one kind or another, having certain dimensions and other topological properties. The surface of the Earth is a two-dimensional manifold that can be represented on the surface of a sphere but not on only one flat chart.