String theory
From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
The String Theory is a physics model. The theory is based on complicated mathematics and physics. It is used to try and explain or describe everything that happens in nature. It says everything can be explained with four forces:
- the gravitational force,
- the electromagnetic force,
- the forces of strong interaction, and
- the forces of weak interaction.
This may be a theory that can bring together other physics theories all at once. Since it is just a theory, it is used as a possible way of explaining how some things work; it is very hard for scientists to prove everything, or answer every question that they can imagine by using just one theory on its own. String Theory is slightly different from most other theories because it is very close to helping scientists get closer to explaining everything that they can think of, so many scientists are excited by the ideas that String Theory has to offer.
The theory looks at objects (that it calls strings), and imagines that they are not precise particles (like things you can count in your hand). It explains how other particles and forces behave. The strings are very small (10-35 m long). They seem to behave like regular particles, when they are this small.
There are two mathematical models that predict the same physical observations of the whole universe. One is "as large as we think the universe is", about the 74 billion light years circumference predicted in Weeks' model. The other is much smaller than the Planck Length. Both mathematics are just as good to explain what we can see.
String theory lets gravity be explained through quantum. With traditional physics models, this was not possible.
The Superstring theory is based on 10 dimensions. The Bosonic string theory has 26 dimensions. Gravity is the only real force in the theory. Only four of the ten dimensions can be observed by us. The others hint at the other forces that are observed. It does not say that other physics theories are not true, or wrong.
String theory has led to advances in the mathematics of folding, knots and Calabi-Yau spaces.
String theory does not make predictions that can actually be tested by scientists today or in the near future. Some people say this makes the theory unscientific.
This short article can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.
