Just what exactly is string theory, and super-symmetry, and how do they relate to each other?
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String theory is the idea that everything in the universe is made out of tiny, vibrating loops of string that are far smaller than the size of an atom.\n\nIn string theory, there are currently believed to be ten dimensions (plus one for time).  A dimension is essentually just a direction:  Left-Right, Up-Down, Forward-Back.  Originally, all the dimensions were very small with little rooom for movement.\n\nAt the time of the Big Bang, the three dimensions I mentioned expanded rapidly to create the enormous universe we see today.  The other seven dimensions are still tiny.  There is not enough room in them for us to detect them directly, but they do influence the behavior of strings on very small scales.\n\nAn example of symmetry is that the rules of physics where you live are exactly the same as the rules of physics where I live.  In other words, the rules of physics are location symmetric.\n\nAnother example is that (by using the rules of general relativity developed by Einstein) the rules are symmetric for all observers, even if they are accelerating in opposite directions.  An interesting result of this symmetry is that gravity warps the fabric of space itself.\n\nSuper-symmetry is another example, like the two I just mentioned.  The details involve more math though, so I won't go into it.  It hasn't really been confirmed by experiment yet, by physicists have been using it to make predictions for years.\n\nCalculations show that the tiny strings of string theory follow the rules of super-symmetry.  That is one reason string theory is widely accepted.  Together, the two ideas predict that all particles we currently know (electrons, muons, quarks, etc.) have a matching super-symmetric particle.\n\nSince none of these have yet been found, they are thought to have much larger masses than the particles who know of.  With the next generation of particle accelerators (such as the Large Hadron Collider scheduled to start operation next year in Europe), it may be possible to test the existence of the matching super-symmetric particles.  That is one of the current ideas for providing evidence for or against string theory.
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I would have to go with the Planck length on this one, which is a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a centimeter!  \n\nThe reason I say this: According to String Theory, strings are that long, and they are the fundamental building block of all matter.  Therefore, nothing exists that is smaller than that, so it is useless to have a smaller measurement.
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In a nutshell?\n\nOh, that's kind of the idea. \n\nStrings are a mathematical construction that hold the promise of putting all the properties of subatomic particles into a nutshell - or actually a string. If it can be made to work it will be really "niffty" - just how valuable has yet to be determined.\n\ngiving much of the basics without knowing the level of math to provide is really tough.\n\nAn intuitive description suggests that a string will provide information by virtue of its vibrations. Different harmonics representing different particles.  All particles are strings, just vibrating in different ways.
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According to string theory, the strings are the universe's \nelemental material. They vibrate in different ways and can\njoin and break apart to form different elemental particles\nthat make up the universe. The strings exist in 11\ndimensions: time, which physicists consider a dimension, and\n10 spatial dimensions. Four of those dimensions are the ones\nwe are familiar with, three spatial dimensions plus time.\nThe other dimensions may be so small they're invisible to\ncurrent detection equipment and are only known to exist because they leave a "footprint" of where they have been.
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Unified field theory is an attempt to unify all the fundamental forces and the interactions between elementary particles into a single theoretical framework. The term was coined by Einstein who attempted to reconcile the general theory of relativity with electromagnetism in a single field theory. \n\nIn physics, M-theory (sometimes also called U-theory) is put forward as the master theory that unites the five superstring theories. Edward Witten of Princeton University proposed the existence of this physical model at a conference at USC in 1995, explaining a number of previously observed dualities and sparking a flurry of new research in string theory, called the second superstring revolution.\n\nIn the early 1990s, it was shown that the various superstring theories were related by dualities, which allowed physicists to relate the description of an object in one string theory to the description of a different object in another theory. These relationships imply that each of the string theories is a different aspect of a single underlying theory, proposed by Witten, and named "M-theory".\n\nM-theory is not complete as yet [Greene-TFOTC-chapter 13]. It can be applied in many situations (usually by exploiting string theoretic dualities). The theory of electromagnetism was also in such a state in the mid-19th century; there were separate theories for electricity and magnetism and, although they were known to be related, the exact relationship was not clear until James Clerk Maxwell published his equations. Witten has suggested that a general formulation of M-theory will probably require the development of new mathematical language.
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i don't know... this is all theoretical, and i would guess that this either \na- does not and cannot happen, or\nb- happens all the time and is therefore not something to be concerned about\n\ndid you read The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene? or Fabric of the Cosmos? (same author) \nI suggest these for further understanding of the string theory.... without having to consider the complexities of the mathematics behind it.
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Current best theory is the M Theory - a revised version of Superstring Theory.
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the inventor of string theory, physicist Leonard Susskind
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according to string theory \nthere r 4 dimensions\n3-space,1-time \n[11 of course which can't be perceived normally]\nthe dimension of space - time is variable in string theory , in the sense that we have to solve the string equations to determine it\nit's too difficult because of the great complexity of the theory\nif the ans comes out to be 4 then we'd have revealed one of the most abiding and mysterious facts since the dawn of civilization
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Actually string theory is a special case of M-theory (M for membrane). It's not a question of "give everything about it," it's more "how much can you understand." Not all of us are capable of understanding this stuff. This page will give you a non-mathematical taste but if you really want everything, you'll need an advanced degree in mathematics.\nhttp://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3015388/
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Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the particles and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modeling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetric strings. It is considered one of the most promising candidate theories of quantum gravity. Superstring theory is a shorthand for "supersymmetric string theory" because unlike bosonic string theory, it is the version of string theory that incorporates fermions and supersymmetry.\n\nThe deepest problem in theoretical physics is harmonizing the theory of general relativity, which describes gravitation and applies to large-scale structures (stars, galaxies, super clusters), with quantum mechanics which describes the other three fundamental forces acting on the microscopic scale.\n\nThe development of a quantum field theory of a force invariably results in infinite (and therefore useless) probabilities. Physicists have developed mathematical techniques (renormalization) to eliminate these infinities which work for the electromagnetic, strong nuclear and weak nuclear forces, but not gravity. Thus the development of a quantum theory of gravity must come about by different means than were used for the other forces.\n\nThe basic idea is that the fundamental constituents of reality are strings of the Planck length (about 10−35 m) which vibrate at resonant frequencies. The tension of a string (8.9×1042 newtons) is about 1041 times the tension of an average piano string (735 newtons). The graviton (the proposed messenger particle of the gravitational force), for example, is predicted by the theory to be a string with wave amplitude zero. Another key insight provided by the theory is that no measurable differences can be detected between strings that wrap around dimensions smaller than themselves and those that move along larger dimensions (i.e., effects in a dimension of size R equal those whose size is 1/R). Singularities are avoided because the observed consequences of "big crunches" never reach zero size. In fact, should the universe begin a "big crunch" sort of process, string theory dictates that the universe could never be smaller than the size of a string, at which point it would actually begin expanding.
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STRING THEORY, is one of the theories of modern sciences where it states that every thing in this universe is made of strings. The visual and other evidence of differences in objects is how the strings are. For example, longer strings mean more red color (this is a hypothetical example.) \nString Theory was predicted to give solutions to lot of problems in modern Physics. It has not ben proved yet, thus is not a complete true science yet.
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first of all 4 dimentions is true because there are 3 spacial dimentions and the 4th is time.\n\nand we dont know if superstring theory is true, it's still just an idea, and hasn't been proven, nor has any evidence been shown for it, we just like it because it can be used to explain certain things if it were true.  in string theory, there are 11 dimentions, its not crap, why dont you read "the elegant universe" by brian greene, or at least do some type of reading on it before you call it crap.  the dimentions are interwoven in our own universe, just like the 4 that are already proven.
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These are very thorough answers.  But you asked for "simple," so here goes...\n\nAccording to string theory, "strings" are the fundamental building block of all matter...the old fashioned ones (atoms and/or their consituent parts) are in fact nothing more than strings vibrating a certain way.  If they vibrate one way, they're electrons.  If they vibrate another way, they're protons.  And so on.
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I would say that most physicists are sceptical of string theory, to say the least. many simply dismiss it as irrelevant. The basic problem is that it has given NO predictions that can be tested. None, nada. One person in the department (of physics) here worked on string theory and gave up, saying that it simply doesn't really explain anything.
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you should read more into string theroy and the M theory.  they are both very interesting.  it is hard to wrap your mind around but  this is just one universe that goes along a membrane of universes that goes on infinetely.  the science channel often has show that explin all this much better and they make it pretty easy to understand.
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String theory is a model of fundamental physics whose building blocks are one-dimensional extended objects (strings) rather than the zero-dimensional points (particles) that are the basis of the Standard Model of particle physics. For this reason, string theories are able to avoid problems associated with the presence of pointlike particles in theories of physics. Studies of string theories have revealed that they predict not just strings, but also higher-dimensional objects.\n\nThe basic idea is that the fundamental constituents of reality are strings of energy of the Planck length (about 10-35 m) which vibrate at resonant specific frequencies[1]. Another key claim of the theory is that no measurable differences can be detected between strings that wrap around dimensions smaller than themselves and those that move along larger dimensions (i.e., physical processes in a dimension of size R match those in a dimension of size 1/R). Singularities are avoided because the observed consequences of "big crunches" never reach zero size. In fact, should the universe begin a "big crunch" sort of process, string theory dictates that the universe could never be smaller than the size of a string, at which point it would actually begin expanding.\n\nInterest in string theory is driven largely by the hope that it will prove to be a theory of everything. It is a possible solution of the quantum gravity problem, and in addition to gravity it can naturally describe interactions similar to electromagnetism and the other forces of nature. Superstring theories include fermions, the building blocks of matter, and incorporate supersymmetry. It is not yet known whether string theory will be able to describe a universe with the precise collection of forces and matter that is observed, nor how much freedom to choose those details that the theory will allow. String theory as a whole has not yet made falsifiable predictions that would allow it to be experimentally tested, though various special corners of the theory are accessible to planned observations and experiments. Hence critics of string theory occasionally remark that the theory "... is not even wrong," quoting a quip attributed to Wolfgang Pauli.\n\nWork on string theory has led to advances in mathematics, mainly in algebraic geometry. String theory has also led to other theories, supersymmetric gauge theories, which will be tested at the new Large Hadron Collider experiment.