What is String Theory?

Question

I've looked at websites talking about and watched several shows on it, yet I haven't got a clear answer. I just want a basic simple answer.
Many Thanks!

Answer 1

Look up Brian Greene.

We have this idea that the basic constituents of nature are these vibrating strings, that their vibrational patterns dictate the properties of particles, and they dictate the kinds of forces at work in the world. If the theory is right, that simple notion will perhaps be able to explain, in principle, every physical phenomenon. That powerful reach is where the elegance resides.

One of the strangest features of string theory is that it requires more than the three spatial dimensions that we see directly in the world around us. That sounds like science fiction, but it is an indisputable outcome of the mathematics of string theory. So the question is, where are these extra dimensions? One suggestion is that they're all around us, but they're small relative to the dimensions that we directly see and therefore are more difficult to detect.

What the theory also predicts—not necessarily but possibly—is that energy can escape from our known dimensions and leak into these extra dimensions under appropriate circumstances. Those appropriate circumstances might be generated in high-energy collisions that will take place at the new atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider.

So it's possible that through these high-energy collisions we will find that there is less energy at the end of the collision than there was at the start. If the energy loss is of just the right sort, it could be very strong evidence that the energy has seeped off into these extra dimensions. If that were true, if that were the best explanation we could find, that would be strong evidence that the extra dimensions are real, and that in turn would be strong evidence that the framework of string theory is correct.

Answer 2

String theory is a theory that one-dimensional strings are the fundamentals of everything, including matter, energy, forces, etc. This theory was developed because there are two laws that govern our universe as we know it. The theory of relativity at the large level like stars and galaxies, and quantum mechanic at the extremely small levels.

These two theories conflict with each other. The theory of relativity says that space-time is smooth and stable. While quantum mechanic say that space-time is unstable and chaotic. Left-right, up-down, before-after all breaks down. You can't be sure if you're here, or there, or maybe at both places at once. Or maybe you arrived here before you arrived here.

But how can two totally different theories rule the same universe? That's where string theory comes in! For more, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Theory

Answer 3

string theory


description of elementary particles based on one-dimensional curves, or "strings," instead of point particles. Superstring theory, which is string theory that contains a kind of symmetry known as supersymmetry, shows promise as a way of unifying the four known fundamental forces of nature. The strings are embedded in a space-time having as many as 10 dimensions–the three ordinary dimensions plus time and seven compactified dimensions. The energy-scale at which the stringlike properties would become evident is so high that it is currently unclear how any of the forms of the theory could be tested.

See P. C. W. Davies and J. Brown, ed., Superstrings (1988).

Answer 4

http://superstringtheory.com/


Think of a guitar string that has been tuned by stretching the string under tension across the guitar. Depending on how the string is plucked and how much tension is in the string, different musical notes will be created by the string. These musical notes could be said to be excitation modes of that guitar string under tension.
In a similar manner, in string theory, the elementary particles we observe in particle accelerators could be thought of as the "musical notes" or excitation modes of elementary strings.
In string theory, as in guitar playing, the string must be stretched under tension in order to become excited. However, the strings in string theory are floating in spacetime, they aren't tied down to a guitar. Nonetheless, they have tension. The string tension in string theory is denoted by the quantity 1/(2 p a'), where a' is pronounced "alpha prime"and is equal to the square of the string length scale.
If string theory is to be a theory of quantum gravity, then the average size of a string should be somewhere near the length scale of quantum gravity, called the Planck length, which is about 10-33 centimeters, or about a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a centimeter. Unfortunately, this means that strings are way too small to see by current or expected particle physics technology (or financing!!) and so string theorists must devise more clever methods to test the theory than just looking for little strings in particle experiments.
String theories are classified according to whether or not the strings are required to be closed loops, and whether or not the particle spectrum includes fermions. In order to include fermions in string theory, there must be a special kind of symmetry called supersymmetry, which means for every boson (particle that transmits a force) there is a corresponding fermion (particle that makes up matter). So supersymmetry relates the particles that transmit forces to the particles that make up matter.
Supersymmetric partners to to currently known particles have not been observed in particle experiments, but theorists believe this is because supersymmetric particles are too massive to be detected at current accelerators. Particle accelerators could be on the verge of finding evidence for high energy supersymmetry in the next decade. Evidence for supersymmetry at high energy would be compelling evidence that string theory was a good mathematical model for Nature at the smallest distance scales.

Answer 5

String theory is a model of fundamental physics whose building blocks are one-dimensional extended objects (strings) rather than the zero-dimensional points (particles) that are the basis of the Standard Model of particle physics. For this reason, string theories are able to avoid problems associated with the presence of point-like particles in theories of physics, in particular the problem of defining a sensible quantum theory of gravity. Studies of string theories have revealed that they predict not just strings, but also higher-dimensional objects.

Answer 6

Try this website:

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html

I watched NOVA a PBS special regarding String theory and it was very interesting. Basically it is suppose to explain yet another dimension . I am no science major but when I saw this show it seemed clear as rain.

Answer 7

i'm waiting till that's examined. Now that the LHC is virtually waiting, the subsequent few years could produce some measurable outcomes that make certain no matter if string concept and M concept make precise predictions. i have also not in any respect heard it pronounced as "God concept." that's a unifying concept of physics because it explains the 4 forces, yet that doesn't recommend it solutions all of our questions with reference to the organic universe.

Answer 8

The Theory that strings vibrating are the smallest elements, the trouble with this theory is that it is unable to be tested. If it can't be tested then it falls under faith and philosophy.

At least that's what I got from it.

here's another link that might have a little more info.

Answer 9

Yeah i watched a nova DVD once and they say it's a theory of everything, it's still not explained by the top scientists.

Answer 10

a simple answer to a complex theory...we are all one energy and there are up to 11 dimensions of the universe that make up all things. we cannot see them. something like that.