Can someone explain the string theory?

Answer 1

String theory is an attempt to unite all four forces of nature into one primordial force that is assumed to have existed at the instant of the Big Bang, when all potential matter, energy and force was contained in one undifferentiated singularity. Somehow this singularity came apart and the pieces evolved into things with different characteristics which we call matter, energy, force, space and time.

How physicists come up with this stuff is known only to other physicists, but the most basic bits of reality in this theory are called strings because they are presumed to be one-dimensional pieces of mass/energy existing in 10-dimensional space!

Strangely enough, the length of these strings is one of the easier parts to explain, defined as the "Planck length" (after Max Planck) or the smallest possible length that can exist. There can be no half-strings, or said another way space (and time and energy) comes in discrete chunks called quanta. The "Planck time" is the time it takes light to travel the Planck length.

String theory is tantalizing because it predicts the existence of gravity, one of physics' biggest mysteries. The trouble is that strings are so small that so far no one has thought of a way that the theory could ever be tested, so at present it remains, as Steven Weinberg pointed out, mere metaphysics.

Brian Greene wrote an excellent introduction to string theory called "The Elegant Universe."

Answer 2

The short answer is no, most post-graduate physicists or mathematicians can even explain it. The long answer, however, is that Brian Greene did a PBS special on it a couple years ago, explaining "everything" in layman's terms. You should check it out, it's quite informative.

The basic idea behind string theory is that it is an attempt to unify quantum mechanics (small objects, small energy) with general relativity (large objects, high energy). Physicists like to call it a type of GUT - Grand Unified Theory. The basic idea is that the universe isn't quite made up of particles as we now think of it. Instead, these particles are just four dimensional (including time) manifestations of the 11-dimensional energy waves, or strings, that actually make up the universe.

One of the major criticisms of this theory is that it predicts an extra 7 dimensions. Where did they all go? Why can we not see them? Again, for more information, check out the PBS special: The Elegant Universe.

Answer 3

Particles physics explains the universe in terms of "fundemental" or smallest particles (like bosons, and leptons, and quarks and so on), but to explain everything has become sort of "untidy". String theory (and more recently m-theory (or membrane) is a model that proposes that rather than all these different particles, energy & mater are made of of what can be thought of as little "strings" that vibrate at different frequencies, and that vibration is what gives them their characteristics. Its elegance lies in the fact that it is simple compared with particle theories...

Answer 4

Unfortunately, whatever explaination anyone gives you, string theory has not yet made the jump from philosophy to science.

Answer 5

the string theory roughly states that on the most basic level all matter is mad eup of vibrating strings of energy... there's a bunch of requirements to prove this... including about 11 dimensions and parallel universes

Answer 6

woocowgomu, hznfrst, Gerino are the best anwers you are likely to get in this forum. I have seen "The Elegant Universe" as well and I also highly recommend it. It looks like you can watch it online.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html
There was also a very good book I borrowed from a friend that for the life of me I wish I could remember the title.

Answer 7

while the theroy states that there is a nanoscopic sized sring that is constantly vibrating inside of a electron . this string is a carreier of gravity it is constantly transporting gravity from one diemension to the next in a sort of chain reaction way.

Answer 8

Sounds like an episode of Quantum Leap to me...

Answer 9

I can, but I am also pretty sure, that you will find quite understandable and entertaining explanation:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html

Answer 10

everything is connected bt little tiny string. if anybody were to cut any single string somehow then the world explodes.