Can someone explain String theory in a simple way to me?

Answer 1

i do accept that it is really only a hypothesis, but it suggests that all the elementary particles, leptons, quarks, and the force mediating bosons like the photon, are manifestations of different vibrational patterns in eleven dimensions of unimaginably small strings of energy. strings can be open strings or closed loops.

watch " the elegant universe" on pbs here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html

Answer 2

Wow, that's a tall order. Here's the very very very basic idea: Everything in the universe is composed of tiny vibrating strings of energy. This is only a description of their nature, so don't think that the universe is built out of yarn or something. These strings vibrate in all different ways and different "frequencies," and even in multiple dimensions of space and time. The way each string vibrates determines what kind of particle it presents, and this includes force particles (the particles theorized to carry the traits of the four fundamental forces -- electromagnetism, gravity and the strong and weak nuclear forces) When you get a bunch of these strings together, they collectively form quarks and leptons, subatomic particles, atoms, molecules and so forth. Because of the math involved, these loops of string also offer loopholes (sorry) in the previously inviolate laws of quantum mechanics and relativity theory that can actually make them work together (there are several ways where they simply can't both be right without the help of string theory)

For reasons I have yet to figure out, by the way, string theory is now currently known as M theory. Don't ask me why...

Answer 3

The continuation of Einstein's last great work. He was trying to find the Grand Unified Theory which unified all known laws into one that could describe everything about the universe.

The problem is Einstein's Relativity isn't compatible with Quantum Mechanics. They both make sense, but don't compliment each other at all. It's an attempt to unify them, and the four fundamental forces of the universe into one primordial force.

The basic idea is that these extremely small massless strings, that are either open or closed spin and osscilate. What we percieve as matter is a manifestation of the movements of these strings. Much like, when you play a guitar a certain way, you get a certain sound, the manifestation of the movement of the guitar strings.

That's the nutshell, but it goes much much deeper than that.

Answer 4

String theory just says that everything, on a very small scale, is actually a vibrating loop (or string).

Mathematically, this lays the foundation for a set of physical laws that require at least 11 dimensions to make sense.

The need for such an awkward theory however, arises from the fact that we still haven't found the Higgs Boson (a subatomic particle), which is responsible for the "heaviness" of mass.

String theory says that this heaviness can leak out into one of the other 7 dimensions (we have three dimensions, and time, that we know of already).

The reason people keep trying to build larger and larger particle accelerators is that the faster a particle goes, the shorter its wavelength.

And with a particle of certain shortness in wavelength, it is suspected that we can interact with one of these other 7 dimensions, which are also very very small (which is supposedly why we haven't noticed them til this point).

Answer 5

String theory is based on the idea that space has between 10 and 11 dimensions. Tiny strings or filaments are the basis of everything, and they extend into different dimensions, depending on the forces they can carry or respond to.

The strong nuclear force would depend on strings that extend into three different dimensions that correspond to the chromodynamic forces, the weak nuclear force would extend into two dimensions for its bipolar force, the electromagnetic force would also extend into to more dimensions for its bipolar force, and we have three spatial dimensions that we are familiar with. That adds up to ten.

The controversy arises over gravitation. Nobody is sure yet whether it requires its own dimension to describe it, or if it uses some of the existing ones.

The length of strings that can exist, and the energy that they can vibrate with, determines all the fundamental particles and their exchange particles- which are the ones that carry forces.

That's it in a nutshell.

Answer 6

watch PBS theyve been doing shows on string theory for about a week or two

Answer 7

all fundamental particles are "strings" (loops) of energy. The frequency of vibration determines the properties and identity of the particle (electron, quark, etc)

Answer 8

I'm seeing string theory as nonsense.It's too disjointed.You might call your university's physics department.

Answer 9

i used to have a book on this. its a theory that will never become reality. because time travel is impossible. in theory.