A Brief(er) History of TIme

This is definitely one for 'Jorrie'. Send a personal message and rest assured a comprehensive and easy-to-understand answer will be forthcoming!

This subject has been discussed a bunch in CR4. I ran a "Search all of CR4" for "String Theory" and got 5 pages worth of hits.

Jorrie and Roger Pink refer to many other sources, so I would look at some of their comments.

By the way, I'm not a big fan of string theory, as it reeks of imagining that something is true, 'cause the mathematics needs that "something" to be true.

Thanks, I am not, hmmmmmmmmmm.... saying that I believe in this theory. I am just trying to see how a bunch of strings that have length but nothing else are tied in to my "everyday life" so to speak. Thanks for the info, I guess that I will ask Jorie, sounds like he is the guy in the know. Thanks!

Cheers

Ferris

Yes this is the source that the Atheists use to throw at the Believers in God about believing in the spaghetti monster.

Dear Mr. Ferris,

I would suggest first to read about the following issues:

-The Newton's laws of motion.

-The special and general relativity theories.Then, to visit the following site:

The official site of string theory,www.superstringtheory.com

Also, to read the following referance:

The elegant universe,by prof. Dr.Brian Greene.

Take your time,it is not easy, but you will engoy your time.

Regards,

Sayed Sarhan

This String Theory has come up and Jorrie and Europrium and Vermin are who I rely on for arguments about it. I am in particular concerned with message carrying rays, like cosmic and gamma, and wonder if some dreams come from them as the brain might receive messages like an antenna made of blood. My proposed experiment is a nano particle liquid filled brain wired to receive visions. The great Void that was recently discovered was apparently predicted to be there by String Theory. Therefore I am encouraged that the Vision Factory may exist. There well may be more than one universe and the infinity circle such as was on the lens mark for focus on my camera captures what I feel about String Theory. Apparently everything that happens, or has happened, matters, no matter how large or how small and how something and nothing interact is what the total story is. The Great Grand thing as far as our collective thoughts and consciousness is is that we are coming close to proving and disproving theories, so as to get at the functioning truth, the facts. I myself am convinced that String Theory does have some evidence, and am glad for the experiments currently being conducted. From your study of String Theory, what experiment would you propose? Personally I am not concerned with the absolute number of dimensions, only that there are more or less.

It's OK to put your knitting away. "String theory" has nothing to do with "strings", as you likely imagine. Simplified, perhaps too simplified, one aspect of string theory is that all sub-atomic particles are each only the physical aspect of a vibrating "string", and theoretically, strings can also be huge in size and mass. Like the subject of Black Holes, it was predicted that every galaxy had a massive black hole at it's center. Most people ridiculed this thought, but Hubble has given us "proof" of that theory after many years of debate. One day, there will be a similar "proof" (or disproof ?) of string theory.

Greetings Ferris (et. al.) ~

Sounds as though you are seeking answers that are more-or-less concrete, when in fact, all of this Theory is just that ... speculative. Mind you, it is VERY WELL EDUCATED speculation (particularly the mathematics, therein), and thus, probably closer to reality than most of us can imagine. Math explains a LOT of things to such a degree as many of us will NEVER be able to understand (if we don't understand the math well enough!).

"Guest" alluded to the appropriate course that should be taken. I, myself, have questioned these newer concepts, and found adequate explanation in several such readings. Putting-Up my tungsten-plated armor, here... (as someone will doubtless fire their negations my direction, offering nothing but their own hearsay as ordnance) ; Here (link), you may read my personal (4-pg) notes taken during reading of Brian Greene's "Fabric of the Cosmos". Such texts spend enormous time "building" (i.e., background studies/knowledge/experiments) before introducing the new subject material ... and then, doing so in the proverbial nutshell.

Not sure whether cardio's comment: "strings can also be huge in size and mass" is actually contained in the theory... I certainly didn't interpret that from any source thus far (text and page reference requested).

Also, I think it's analogous to being a misnomer to say that :

"all sub-atomic particles are each only the physical aspect of a vibrating string"...

The way that I see it is that everything in the physical world, as we perceive (it) to BE of a "physical nature", is, in fact, energy. [Period]

Energy is energy (one form or another), and all matter is merely energy... manifesting itself to BE solid/physical to us due to the nature of its format.

Keep on reading, and take everything with the proverbial grain-of-salt! Thinking is good ... studying is better ... arriving at your OWN peace with everything will let you sleep comfortably again.

Best Regards ~

Addendum / Re: ..."...do these dimensions matter?"

The smaller and/or larger dimensions may not matter to your life, my life, or to anybody living RIGHT NOW.

However, should God choose to permit us (someday) to be capable of traveling throughout the cosmos at near-infinite speed, it might REQUIRE that we 1st put-forth the effort to understand all of these things...

Best to all ~

Not so much a "concrete" answer, just some clarification; which, thankfully you all have helped me with. This whole theory is new to me (well, I had heard of it but really never looked into it... the whole thing seemed like it was for people that had time to really look into, be trained, mathematically inclined whatever...) I picked up the book at the local bookstore and read it. I did not know it existed until that day (I was familiar with the original book and the author... somehting about him really knowing his sh%^)there was not really any tech talk in it - it was kind of like " A briefer history of time FOR DUMMIES " .

Thank you all for your insight! Anything else will be greatly apprecited, as I am coming at th is from a different approach, a non mathematical approach (or is that a needed thing?).

Thanks again

Ferris

("Sir") Hawking sums-up his book "The Theory of Everything" with the paragraph:

"However, if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then, we shall all be able to take part in the discussion of why the universe exists. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason. For then, we would know the mind of God."

How apropos!! If you read my notes (linked above, earlier)... and if you dwell on the brief paragraph at the bottom of pg 1, followed immediately by contemplating the 3rd (and 4th) short paragraphs of pg 2 (under "Enter: A Quantum Reality")... then you may begin to assimilate just how gargantuan and complex a "Formula-Derivation" challenge is facing today's mathematicians and physicists, trying to formulate that Grand, Unified Theory! How could any of us mere mortals ever know EVERYTHING all-at-the-same-time...??!!¹

This is why Hawking emphasized that IF such a theory is ever achieved, you and I would ONLY be capable of understanding the "broad principles" of same.

I wholeheartedly encourage those who are striving toward this goal to continue on, full steam ahead... for, it is entirely possible that God has a plan for one of His own to achieve this elusive 'holy grail'...²

As for myself, I shall continue to read ... to stay abreast of what our society's geniuses come up with next.

---

¹ Just when previous greats THOUGHT they "Had-It", along came something to shoot holes in their canteen. Even IF we identify 3 or 4 of the additional (requisite) dimensions, and everything SEEMS to be falling into place ... chances are good that someone will one day reel-back from their nanoscope (or terascope, or what-have-you) exclaiming: "There's a 2nd TIME dimension sqeezed between these 4th and fifth dimensions!"... [then: "Back to that old chalkboard!"]

² (note) --- though I reserve strong doubts of same. I believe that those who truly search for the answers, while living for Him, will be gifted with those answers (among so many others!) when they reach their ultimate reward.

Keep on a-theorizing... what great discussions! ...

Best Regards to one and all ~

LOL.

Looking at these posts, it occurs to me that a not insubstantial part of Hawking's genius consists in a virtually infinite capacity to endlessly re-publish a "string" of his own catch phrases.

It leads one to wonder, what are the required attribution courtesies when one borrows from one's own writings, and/or the thoughts of the Deity.

Hi Ferris,

String theory will never be proved or disproved, so don't lose any sleep over it. Even Kip Thorn calls it a philosophy, and not a theory. If there are other dimensions that are millionths of a millionth of an inch, they don't matter to you and me.

I just got a book The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking cheap at a yard sale. It has very little math which I appreciate, and lots of neat colored pictures. I am having trouble with a few things that he says, however.

Regards,

S

Concur that "strings" small enough to be essentially dimensionless makes for a difficult concept from an understanding viewpoint. Consider "branes", which is a further concept built upon string theory, and it gets even weirder. It's not connectivity, it's deep structural foundations that they represent. And as to whether the numerous dimensions "matter" to our ordinary existence, well, if they really are there, then they matter an incredible lot, but you'd never notice them. Keep the curiosity goin', Brother!