Discussion of Superstring Theory

[loseyourname]

Originally posted by anileve Also take into consideration that physists are just beginning as I have said before to prod at the implication of the superstring theory. Therefore it's complexity was due to the neglect of a physical approach rather than the mind baffling, formula infested mathematical approach.

It's a little unfair to say that. For one thing, there is no way to physically verify superstring theory without the use of mathematics. The fact is, there exist no implications that can be tested or observed that are predicted theoretically. They are only predicted mathematically. The prediction, of course, is supersymmetry, which is a mathematical theory. Furthermore, a good deal of the complexity of the theory was alleviated through a mathematical approach, the Calabi-Yau inversion I have spoken of previously. The numbers involved were greatly simplified and many of the equations have since been very nearly solved and have hinted at other testable predictions. Granted, the insight came from mathematicians that were working on an unrelated problem, but that is part of the beauty of science and math, a strange confluence that is unintended but highly beneficial.

[anileve]

Who did this I ask?!! Who split the thread? I demand some answers!!! Who the hell do these mods think they are? Professional editors working for an imaginary publishing company? Some people are just so hungry for power it's outrageous!

On a more calmer note, the theory was not discussed in detail, so it's cool that we have a whole new thread dedicated to this glorious discussion.

[ckBejug]

How did I miss this thread?

Heeeeeeeeey. I just went to a lecture about this at Caltech.

String theory connects the microscopic quantum world of elementary particles to the macroscopic world of gravity and geometry. Physicists believe that it is going to eventualy help them give a mathematical description of the microscopic laws that determine the properties of elementary particles and the forces that act on them, and help them explain the origin and evolution of the universe. Much has been achieved, but string theory is still a work in progress. I actually didn't know a single thing about the topic before I walked into the lecture. I called it my new thing learned for the week. It was a history lesson in string theory and a discussion about some of the problems that stand in the way of progress. It was pretty damn cool, actually.

[Anonymouse]

What's all the big deal with this anyway? This theory guesses that the universe should exist in 10 dimensions, contrary to the 4 of spacetime. Here they cleverly bring in the Big Bang guess to explain where the other dimensions went and that they "collapsed" or "disappeared" during the big bang. Perhaps a thread should be made to address the big bang. The problem I have with a lot of these Big Bang theories is that theoreticians can pretty much say whatever they like, due to the fact that it is impossible to look back to the early universe.