Please explain string theory in laymens terms.

This video has a pretty good explanation

i really cant elaborate on that though as i really dont understand it well myself.

…...you’re setting us up….... you’ve got the background to do this for yourself and us as well…...... <g>

…... start by explaining in laymens terms how one rolls up the axes of all but 4 of the 11 dimensions….....

I never thought that was possible.

Everything we see and touch, all matter and energy, is actually made of incredibly tiny loops or strands of vibrating energy.

The way these “strings” vibrate, their shape, and how they interact with each other, are ultimately responsible for the behavior of all of the fundamental particles in quantum mechanics. For example, the particle called a photon—the thing that is responsible for light—is actually a string of energy. It’s a photon—as opposed to an electron—because of the shape and behavior of the string.

In order for the theory to work, the strings do not just move through three spatial dimensions. There are also 6 or 7 (I forgot how many) other dimensions. These dimensions are tiny and “folded up,” so we don’t experience them on the scale we live our lives. But the strings are so small that they actually fall into the folds of the extra dimensions. The extra dimensions are necessary because they help determine the shape and behavior of the strings, which would apparently make no mathematical sense without them.

Another neat idea that goes along with string theory is the “holographic principle.” This is the idea that the universe is fundamentally made of information. A string can be described by only a few bits of information. Matter and energy are thus incidentals of more fundamental information. The holographic principle gets its name from the idea that our 3-D experience of the universe is like a “hologram” that gets projected from a more fundamental, 2-D “shell.” We know this can happen because you can describe everything about the 3-D structure of a black hole simply by looking at the information on its 2-D surface.

Go watch Donnie Darko and STFU!!

:)
joking.

This page might help, too.

Simple English Wikipedia. It’s like Wikipedia, but in simple English.

I AM VERY CONFUZZLED.

@Fyrius thats awesome

If you ask me trying to figure all this out is a waste of time. Like God particles and crap like that. Who cares, we can’t even run this simple world right. The way we’re going we’ll all be fried any way.

lol, God particles? Give me some of those!

@uberbatman Coolest video ever.

Nova’s The Elegant Universe series does a good job explaining it, and I think you can watch it for free at the above link. I remember watching it totally blew my mind – of course I don’t really remember the specifics anymore… :) I’m not a physicist, so I don’t think I’d be able to explain it, but if you have three hours that video probably has a shot at it.

Not gonna do it. Even if you pull out my toenails, or sit me in a particle accelerator and force me to read physics text books from the 1950s!

@fyrius lol I found Simple English once when doing a project on something extravagant, shortened a 20 something page description into like 4 pages.

Oh! I know. Everything is tied together with strings (or chewing gum?) you just cant see them. If one of them breaks you have an earthquake.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16950-string-theory-a-beginners-guide.html
try this is the simplest explination I could find

Even simpler:

http://xkcd.com/171/

@hartford3, you do realize that many of the principles underlying the machine you are currently reading this on are based on quantum mechanics? That our GPS is based on Einstein’s relativity?

Theoretical physics isn’t a waste of time. It leads to practical technology that has made all of our lives better.

@Qingu – I couldn’t agree more. People who feel that figuring all this out is a waste of time should definitely not use a web browser, a computer and electricity, let alone a car and a GPS-based navigation system. Maybe it’s a better life for some people. Simple. Modest. Nature oriented. The American Republican Party has declared war on science. Their efforts are paying off. Who needs a Superconducting Super Collider? Where’s the ROI? More and more people actually think science is a waste of time and they say so openly. USING A WEB BROWSER, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. The greatest paradox of our time. Well, some fundamental research is being shifted to Europe and Asia. Let them be the nerds. Republicans might have won their battle. Math is uncool. Being intellectual is uncool. Studying particle physics is definitely uncool. Evolution is fake. Climate change is a conspiracy theory. And so are vaccines. Oh, and I almost forgot. Pluto is a planet.

@uberbatman “s video is great but it looses me conceptually at dimension 6. I pick it back up in dimension 7 but again don’t understand what the branch is in the 8th dimension or what the fold in the 9th dimension represents. I do understand the 10th.

Can anyone help clear up these holes in my understanding?

You mean we spent all that money and human thought cause we’re too proud to ask for directions. Thank you Albert. Never mind. I think I’ll go find a religious/evolution argument. I’m on the side of science. What I’m saying; too much complicated thought for simple answers. If the bough breaks; the cradle will fall. and down will come baby….......