String theory ​

Notes ​

• So awhile ago a bunch of scientists decided to model particles as 1-dimensional lines instead of 0-dimensional points. Everyone thought this was kinda cool, since this new theory could replicate the solutions from particle physics, AND it included gravity as well. This is known as string theory.
  • Problem was, up until the mid-90s they had 5 different theories, and they all looked correct. At first glance, this looked like a major problem because the sets of equations were contradictory. However, some guy named Edward Witten was at a conference in 1995 and said "Hey, it turns out these 5 different theory are all the same thing. They are all simplifications of this new theory right here I call M-Theory."
  • There was much rejoicing, and now M-theory is the only leading string theory.
  • At this point, there is no actual experimental evidence for string theory. But some physicists like it because it looks nice and elegant, and its one of the only ways we've thought of to create a theory that unifies gravity and particle physics.

Links ​

• What's the current state of string theory? (2020)
• 20 Years Later (2020) (HN)
• String theory pros and cons (2018)
• String theory - Just because something is mathematically proven, does it mean that it necessarily exists? (2021)
• String Theory for Undergraduates (2021)
• Did string theory poison physics | Eric Weinstein and Brian Greene clash over theories of everything (2022)
• Physicists Discover String Theory and Extra Dimensions in a Laboratory (2022)
• Why String Theory is Wrong (2018)
• Andrew Strominger: Black Holes, Quantum Gravity, and Theoretical Physics (2023)