“String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a little point but as a little loop of vibrating string.”
~ Edward Witten
 |
| NASA | Science Forum |
Imagine you have a beautiful tree that's filled with oranges. I asked you, what is orange made of? How do you answer this question? Don't worry, I'll give you a simple answer.
Well, I want to look deeply inside the orange. So I magnify it again and again. If I keep on doing it deep inside sooner or later I begin to see molecules come into view.
But molecules are not the end of the story because the molecules I can enlarge them and if I make them big enough deep inside, I begin to see Atoms. Atoms are not the end of the story too because we have electrons and nucleus.
Zooming around the nucleus deep inside mostly empty space in the atom, but deep inside at the center, we see the nucleus.
So if I grab that and magnify it I see that the nucleus is itself made of particles neutrons and protons. If I grab one of the neutrons and magnify it I find yet further particles little tiny quarks inside.
Now that is where the conventional idea stopped String theory comes along and suggests that inside these particles there is something else.
So if I take a little quark and I magnify it conventional idea says there's nothing inside but string theory says I'll find a little tiny filament, a little filament of energy.
Now that is where the conventional idea stopped String theory comes along and suggests that inside these particles there is something else.
So if I take a little quark and I magnify it conventional idea says there's nothing inside but string theory says I'll find a little tiny filament, a little filament of energy.
It is just like the string on a Violin. I pluck it and its vibration creates a little musical note that I can hear the little strings.
In string theory when they vibrate they don't produce musical notes. They produce the particles themselves.
So what quark is nothing but a string vibrating in one pattern. An electron is nothing but a string vibrating in a different pattern. A neutrino is nothing but a string vibrating in a different pattern still.
So if I take all of this back together I have my ordinary orange and if these ideas are right, they are speculative. But if they are right deep inside the orange or any other piece of matter, there's nothing but a dancing vibrating cosmic symphony of strings.
So if I take all of this back together I have my ordinary orange and if these ideas are right, they are speculative. But if they are right deep inside the orange or any other piece of matter, there's nothing but a dancing vibrating cosmic symphony of strings.
That's the basic idea of string theory.
Read More:
Comments
Post a Comment