The Theory of
Everything
“The most
incomprehensible thing
about our universe is that it is
comprehensible.”
--Albert
Einstein
.
Understanding
the universe is a monumental task, yet many scientists dedicate themselves to
this task with great vigor. The ultimate goal in physics is to try to
understand everything, yet physicists have
run into countless problems with the theories that have arisen. Theories are
found, analyzed, and rejected. Careers are made and lost on hypotheses. Physicists run through the halls with the news of discoveries,
yet the most monumental breakthrough will grab and pull their attention away.
The latest theory to have the attention of the scientific community is something
out of science fiction. It is a theory that seems unreal and plausible at the
same time. The theory that has everyone in an uproar is string theory. This
theory is changing everything that was ever known about physics. String theory
has the potential to show that the laws of the universe are reflections of one
grand physical principle, one master equation. The String Theory explains how
quantum mechanics and general relativity can coincide in the quantum and
dimensional realms.
The Supersymmetry
String Theory is a complex theory that is trying to explain everything. It
strives to present what the universe is composed of at a subatomic level, and
how that composition affects the whole universe. This Superstring Theory, as
it’s otherwise known, gives us a very simple explanation to what everything is
made of (Hawking,
Grand. 83). According to this theory,
the whole universe is composed of ultra-subatomic vibrating strings (Greene,
Elegant 15). These strings are
present in everything; they make up everything. The preferred pattern of the
vibration of a string appears as a particle whose “mass and force charges are
determined by the string’s oscillating
pattern” (Greene, Elegant 15). In
other words, the vibration of the string determines which molecule it is. Its
vibration will tell whether it forms a proton, neutron, electron, or a quark.
(Greene, Elegant 14). These molecules
will then go on to make everything that is known, and that is not known, in the
universe and beyond. The introduction of strings into the equation means that
particles cannot be point-like,
as they are perceived in quantum mechanics (Gubser 52).
The easiest
way to visualize a string is to think of violin players (Greene, Elegant 14).
Every note that they produce has its own vibration. These vibrations come
together to make notes that will turn into a melody, and, in the end, our
universe is one grand orchestra. This orchestra of vibrating strings is what
has the whole physics world exited,
because, for the first time, they have come across a solution to bring quantum
mechanics and general relativity together in one “theory of everything” (Huang 35).
This is a bit off of a paper that I wrote back in high school. I just love string theory! I hope that you guys share my love of the micro-world.
Greene ,
Brian. The Elegant Universe. New York
1999.
Print.
Greene,
Brian. The Fabric of the Cosmos. New York
Gubser ,
Steven. The Little Book of String Theory.
New Jersey : Princeton
University Press, 2010.
Print.
Hawking ,
Stephen. A Brief History of Time. New York
Print.
Hawking ,
Stephan. The Grand Design. New York
Print.
Huang ,
Fannie. Quantum Physics: An Anthology of
Current Thought. New York
2006. Print.
awesome!
ReplyDelete