What is "string theory" in physics and how does it work?
85053
consult the below link...very brief...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory
115605
Very simply put, string theory (now most often called "M" theory) is an attempt to unite quantum physics with relativity; we hope that by doing so we can develop a set of equations that will tie together the four fundamental forces of nature. The direct relationship of three of those forces have been linked, but gravity so far remains the "outsider."
1095974
this is sort of trival, dimensions can be thought of as derivatives, and you can take a formula and make any number of derivatives of the original derivatives and still end up with a line that bends, indicating no limit to the number of dimensions we can really conceive..   \nModern string theory is a bunch of hoo haa,   such a sub-atomic idea makes no sense, the reality we know could not have order if there were "strings".  "strings" have no way of organizing themselves into different sub-atomic particles, the universe would just be a bunch of "strings"
274189
Well, it is too complicted to explain in simple words, Here is a simplified version of the String theory-\nhttp://www.superstringtheory.com/basics/basic4.html\n\nI think you should read the Wikipedia articles about the String theory. Here they are-\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory_(simplified)\n\nBut, if you want this topic to be explained thoroughly, see the "official website" on string theory-\n\nhttp://www.superstringtheory.com/basics/index.html
518055
Ever since man took an interest in the sciences, from perhaps the time of Aristotle onwards, from time to time great ideas have been put forward. Some of these have seemed initially ludicrous, and turned out to be so. Others, with a little development, have given us a great insight into the way that the world works and enabled us to move on. \nAt a given moment of time, it may appear that what we know is fairly correct and will correct timelessly. However, history has shown that this is not the case. Eventually, perhaps, we will know everything, but right now this is far from the case. \nTake one of the fundamental aspects of physics, for instance. For a long time now people have thought that the matter is made up of tiny, invisible particles; atoms and their sub-components. This is the model we learn and that everyone worked around. \nYet in recent times, this has been challenged, by what is known as string theory - and it now seems that this is a better model, perhaps the more 'correct' one. \nString theory, against the traditional theory of matter, says that matter is caused by the vibrations of a string-like structure. These are the fundamental building blocks of matter. It is a bizarre sounding radical theory at first, but now has much support. \nJust like a violin string when plucked will produce sounds, and different sounds when plucked in different ways, so it is with the universe - with string theory, the fluctuations give rise to matter. On this view, the universe may romantically be described as a symphony. The framework of the vibrating string causes the song that we see around us.
985630
11 dimensional string theory has not produced anything.\n\nIt is possible that the 7 dimensions that are not perceived are mathematical deception, and therefore string theory is a theory of nothing, as you will find if you read the wikipedia article on string theory.
668487
Ok, the parallel universe theory is a theory that some quantum physicists believe. The reason we have no detected them as of yet is because we can only detect forces and our forces would probably not be able to travel between the dimensions. In one version of string theory gravity is able to travel between the universes. If this is true we should be able to measure small fluctuations from the predicted value of gravity. So far they have tested this ont he scale of tenths of centimeters. There has been no evidence yet that there are parallel universes. If we get better equipment and we can measure that gravity does not follow newtons equation that may prove the existence of a parallel universe. I hope that helped
469686
Like so many things in physics, string theory came about by accident, and was not entirely unrelated to the fact that physicists don't get laid often enough.\n\nGaspard LaRoche was a physicist in Bonne in 1948. He was experimenting with particle deceleration, on the basis that by selectively weakening electrochemical bonds within steel molecules, you could essentially make "stretchy bridges" - bridges that wouldn't break but would only use about a third of the raw steel to make - you'd basically just have to stretch them out long enough.\n\nIt wasn't going well.\n\nGaspard made his own lunch, because like many physicists, he was a truly lonely, blinkered individual. He traditionally made himself cheese sandwiches, and ate them, miserably, in the lab.\n\nThe rest is history - the result of boredom and that dark curiosity that makes physicists wonder 'what will happen if I press this button'. Gaspard zapped his sandwich with a stream of decelerated protons, threw in a handful of deconstructed proteins just for show, and voila - cheese sandwiches that could be bounced, stretched, split and strung across the lab as a party piece.\n\nSadly, Gaspard died alone, uncelebrated for his single contribution to the world outside the laboratory. His stretchy bridges never came to anything, and it wasn't until two years after his death that string cheese was reinvented as a childhood food.\n\nIncidentally, all this pre-dated the string theory of the universe by some years. The scientists behind the theory have always fought shy of acknowledging Gaspard's work as being their inspiration...but we know the truth.
1038716
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 pointlike particles in theories of physics. Studies of string theories have revealed that they predict not just strings, but also higher-dimensional objects.\n\nThe basic idea is that the fundamental constituents of reality are strings of energy of the Planck length (about 10-35 m) which vibrate at resonant specific frequencies[1]. Another key claim of the theory is that no measurable differences can be detected between strings that wrap around dimensions smaller than themselves and those that move along larger dimensions (i.e., physical processes in a dimension of size R match those in a dimension of size 1/R). Singularities are avoided because the observed consequences of "big crunches" never reach zero size. In fact, should the universe begin a "big crunch" sort of process, string theory dictates that the universe could never be smaller than the size of a string, at which point it would actually begin expanding.\n\nInterest in string theory is driven largely by the hope that it will prove to be a theory of everything. It is a possible solution of the quantum gravity problem, and in addition to gravity it can naturally describe interactions similar to electromagnetism and the other forces of nature. Superstring theories include fermions, the building blocks of matter, and incorporate supersymmetry. It is not yet known whether string theory will be able to describe a universe with the precise collection of forces and matter that is observed, nor how much freedom to choose those details that the theory will allow. String theory as a whole has not yet made falsifiable predictions that would allow it to be experimentally tested, though various special corners of the theory are accessible to planned observations and experiments. Hence critics of string theory occasionally remark that the theory "... is not even wrong," quoting a quip attributed to Wolfgang Pauli.\n\nWork on string theory has led to advances in mathematics, mainly in algebraic geometry. String theory has also led to other theories, supersymmetric gauge theories, which will be tested at the new Large Hadron Collider experiment.
57950
Not yet.\n\nThis is an incredibly active area of research in theoretical physics.  String theory is the most popular path of investigation right now, and is being worked on intensely.
168536
There are two main kinds of strings: cosmic strings, and then strings that are postulated to be building blocks of matter.\n\nCosmic strings are attempts to explain the irregularity of matter in the cosmos.\n\nThe other string theory postulates that matter is not built out of zero dimensional objects (particles) but out of one dimensional objects (strings). These are very small and they vibrate to produce various effects. There are different varieties of these building block type string theories, which you can read about below.
18940
Life would remain simpler with no strings attached.  However, string theory deals with a universe with more that the dimensions we know day-to-day.  For example, you can calculate the diagonal of a square or a cube and the result has physical significance you can deal with.  The forth demension is time but what is meant by the diagonal of that figure no longer a plane or a solid?  What do we know of even greater dimensions, especially if they describe the very small that we can never see?  Certain of the equations that have been produced have enoumous numbers of solutions and it is difficult to find the correct solution and how to test it.  And that is only scratching the surface of a subject that has attracted some of the best brainpower on the globe.  Good luck.
554170
Read Michio Kakuo's book.  He is the "inventor" of strings theory, not Hawking.
24039
Good question, probably travel through time and space.  Remember that boundary conditions are important for string behavior. Strings can be open, with ends that travel at the speed of light, or closed, with their ends joined in a ring.\n   One of the particle states of a closed string has zero mass and two units of spin, the same mass and spin as a graviton, the particle that is supposed to be the carrier of the gravitational force. Now that you have this information, take it and run with it.  Let me know what you find out.  Just kidding, good luck finding a solution.
1057662
I-LIKE-A-DA YO-YO!!\n\nshort version:\n\nneutrons & protons have arcs of electricity between them. or, "strings"\n\nstrings sometime break off and just disapear.\non occasion, a rouge string will become a worm hole (about a 20-25% chance)\nvery rarely, a wormhole will become a "membrane" or a small pocket of energy. (4-8% chance from worm hole stage)\n\nthe thoery is that these membranes, or "branes" for short(mem"brane"), colected together to eventualy form a bubble of energy the size of a universe. and that two of theses monsters slamed into each other to create the "big bang" theory we know today.\n\nyep, still a nerd.\n\nStargazer.
157131
Bosonic string theory was the first version of string theory. Bosonic string theory, which dealt with string’s vibrational patterns, emerged in the 1970s. This was replaced by supersymmetrical string theory. M-theory in 11 dimensions gives rise to five string theories in 10 dimensions.
336869
They can't be explained. That's why the aforementioned string theory hasn't met a wide acceptance. There are other difficulties with string theory, but they would take a while to explain.