String Theory made its appearance in the world of
theoretical physics in the late 1970s and early '80s

at that time, there were nagging problems with the two
predominant theories of the day - general relativity and
quantum mechanics

these theories appeared to be inconsistent and
incompatible in the way they described phenomena

also, neither theory stood up well when applied to either
very small time periods or very large masses

string theory, in contrast, excited attention and drew
adherents since it better explained phenomena;

and it seemed capable of drawing links between
relativity and quantum mechanics

it was hoped that String Theory would turn out
to be the elusive "Theory of Everything" initially
sought by Einstein -

a unifying theory defined as one that, "fully explains
and links together all known physical phenomena"
- wikipedia

at the heart of string theory is the proposition that
the basic building blocks of matter and energy are
not particles, but rather, vibrating strands of energy
called "strings"

these strings are inconceivably small and it is their
vibrational patterns that determine and differentiate
particles and phenomena

finally, string theory posits that strings vibrate not only
in the four dimensions we navigate, but also, in 7 additional,
unseen dimensions

in recent years excitement has waned as: the underlying
mathematics has become progressively more complex
(less "elegant"); competing versions of string theory arose;
and newer "theories of everything" appeared

however, work on string theory has continued, and with
adjustments such as the proposal of an 11th dimension,
it has adapted, morphed and remained viable

below is a brief excerpt from Michael Green's
Elegant Universe shown on PBS and available
on the web for viewing - Link

in this clip, Green gives us a sense of the composition
and size of strings

he also speaks of the significance of their vibrational pattens



Related Posts:
- From String Theory to M-Theory
- M Theory & The Weakness of Gravity
- M Theory and The 11th Dimension
- The Big Bang as per String Theory
- The Lure of Unification Theory
- 11th Dimension & Parallel Universes
- Inter-Universe Communication via the "GravityPhone"