String Theory For topic is written so you can easily get to the information you need, read it, and understand it. It’s designed to follow the historical development of the theory as much as possible, though many of the concepts in string theory are interconnected. Although I’ve attempted to make each topic understandable on its own, I’ve included cross-references where concepts repeat to get you back to a more thorough discussion of them.
Part I: Introducing String Theory
This first part of the topic introduces the key concepts of string theory in a very general way. You read about why scientists are so excited about finding a theory of quantum gravity. Also, you get your first glimpse into the successes and failures of string theory.
Part II: The Physics Upon Which String Theory 1s Built
String theory is built upon the major scientific developments of the first 70 years or so of the 20th century. In this part, you find out how physicists (and scientists in general) learn things and what they’ve learned so far. Part
II includes topics on how science develops, classical physics (before Einstein), Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum physics, and the more recent findings in particle physics and cosmology. The questions raised in these topics are those that string theory attempts to answer.
Part III: Building String Theory: A Theory of Everything
You get to the heart of the matter in this part. I discuss the creation and development of string theory, from 1968 to early 2009. The amazing transformations of this theory are laid out here. topic 12 focuses on ways that the concepts of string theory can be tested.
Part 1V: The Unseen Cosmos: String Theory on the Boundaries of Knowledge
Here I take string theory out for a spin in the universe, exploring some of the major concepts in greater detail. topic 13 focuses on the concept of extra dimensions, which are at the core of much of string theory study. topic 14 explores the implications for cosmology and how string theory could explain certain properties of our universe. Even more amazing, in topics 15 and 16, you discover what string theory has to say about possible parallel universes and the potential for time travel.
Part V: What the Other Guys Say: Criticism and Alternatives
The discussion gets heated in this part as you read about the criticisms of string theory. String theory is far from proven, and many scientists feel that it’s heading in the wrong direction. Here you find out why and see what alternatives they’re posing, such as loop quantum gravity (string theory’s biggest competitor). If string theory is wrong, scientists will continue to look for answers to the questions that it seeks to resolve.
Part V1: The Part of Tens
In the For topic tradition, the final topics of this topic present lists of ten topics. topic 20 sums up ten outstanding physics questions that scientists hope any “theory of everything” (including string theory) will answer. topic 21 focuses on ten string theorists who have done a lot to advance the field, either through their own research or by introducing string theory concepts to the world through popular topics.
