contest winner,discover magazine,physics,atoms,particles String Theory in Two Minutes or Less

String Theory in Two Minutes or Less

posted by mlx

2 years 2 weeks ago • 3562 views

tags: contest winner, discover magazine, physics, atoms, particles

Columbia University physicist Brian Greene recently chose the winner of the String Theory in Two Minutes or Less user-generated video contest. Post recommended by Linz via Calvados.

You're right, guys, it is pretty cool!

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Comments

thanks mlx!

written by calvados

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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Is that just some nerdy kid trying to sound like Dexter??? The cartoon Dexter...

written by choggie

member is hobbled for abuse of privileges

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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Yeah, a lot of this is still theory, and there have been no experiments to support String Theory (I think they might be going back to M Theory, but I am not in that field)

They are doing experiments at the LHC to try and find the Higgs boson.

Maybe I will find a link to that... Anyway, if they don't find the Higgs boson at the LHC, then String Theory will have few remaining legs to stand on.

written by MycroftHomlz

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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When does this make hoverboards real?

written by quantumushroom

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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Oh no...Jesus wouldn't like this ONE bit!

written by rottenseed

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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This explains absolutely nothing! I don't think it even tries to explain anything. It just covers some lingo and mentions strings (which is in the name) and that it tries to be a general theory of physics.

-Karl

written by swedishfriend | 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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It's just an alternative and probably less parsimonious mathematical model. No experiment has yet been done in which string theory and the standard model predict different results.

written by jwray

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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stylishly animated... upvote for that... otherwise I didn't really learn anything.

I want teleporters! Now!!

written by bamdrew

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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..feel so much smarter now

written by choggie

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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That voice got way too annoying... I had to turn it off.

written by karaidl

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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A shorter and better explanation of String Theory:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/string_theory.png

written by ShakaUVM | 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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Seems to me that there aren't any predictions made by string theory which differ from more classical models. Doesn't that make it more metaphor than theory?

written by Baqueta | 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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^Baqueta, no. All theory's are "models" the sole purpose of which is to be comprehensible, and explain and predict behavior. If string theory, or any other physics theory, can do a better job of explaining observed behavior than another model, then its seen as better. The problem physics has atm, is that observed behavior in certain macro conditions gets explained well by Newtonian models etc, and micro models are explained by other models, but there isn't a good "Theory of Everything" that explains all of it in one. String theory is one attempt at this, and the metaphor aspect is just part of seeking to make its ideas comprehensible to us, and the physicists trying to think about it (see the xkcd comic).

A new theory of everything, that simply matched all current theory's in terms of ability to predict behavior, would be a great starting point form which to explore its implications for new predicted behaviors, and thus test for to advance our knowledge.

So, the metaphor aspect of it, or of any theory, dosen't lessen its theory-ness, as it were. It's being Good or Bad, as a theory, is independent of the metaphor-ness.

written by Thylan

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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If strings are the fundamental unit of everything then...
What Are Strings Made Of:

- nothing
- everything
- pure thought
- energy emanating from the harmonic dance of the cosmic void
- spiritual ichor
- gnome farts
- pixie dust
- aether
- god
- 42
- or just a bunch of horseshyt which exists only in the minds of a handful of manic theoretical math weenies desperate to prove something. Anything.

0/0. Ha, take that mathboy.

written by Memorare

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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^ While i don't disagree, the principle you just used can be applied to all attempts to explain anything about matter. Seriously. We have no clue. We just like the patterns it makes and the fact its pretty consistent in its observed behavior.

written by Thylan

| 2 years 2 weeks ago | CH

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Yeah, we really don't (and maybe can't) know those sorts of things. Eventually we may get to the point where we think strings are made of something more fundamental. If we ever hit the end of that line in inquiry and say, "okay, these are for sure THE fundamental building blocks of the universe", what next?

At that point, I guess you either accept that things just are the way they are, or you turn to religion.

written by cheesemoo