String Theory for Dummies

String Theory for Dummies

Over the past few decades, string theory has evolved into the leading candidate for a theory of quantum gravity—a framework to unify general relativity and quantum mechanics. Unfortunately for curious layfolk, the theory is couched in advanced mathematical terms. But now, in String Theory for Dummies®, Andrew Zimmerman Jones unravels this knotty model of the physical world for us all.

As with all titles in the wildly popular “...for Dummies®” series, this one makes learning fun. Zimmerman begins with an overview, showing why some physicists think the basic units of physics are not points but extended, one-dimensional strings, whose modes of vibration create the subatomic particles we observe. In order to work, the theory posits the existence of 10 (or 11) dimensions; since we observe only four—three for space, one for time—the others are thought to be “curled up”.

We learn why strings might succeed in unifying the physics of the very large and very small; so-called singularities, which bend gravity to the breaking point, stymie general relativity but can be handled in a stringy framework. Moving forward, we review some of string theory’s greatest successes (such as predicting gravity and explaining the behavior of black holes) and its failures (such as inability to predict dark energy and the paucity of experimental verification).

After giving a primer on relativity, quantum theory, the Standard Model, and cosmology, Zimmerman turns to the history and development of string theory. He shows how its original incarnation failed but was repurposed with the advent of M-theory in the mid 1990s, which unified different string theories. In later sections, we ask if string theory can ever be tested (and how); whether extra dimensions might actually exist; and what the theory implies for parallel universes and time travel. We also examine some rival “theories of everything”, such as loop quantum gravity.

String Theory for Dummies® is an accessible and engaging introduction to a bold theory on the forefront of physics.

Softcover: 384 pages

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ( July 07, 2009 )

Item #: 62-8911

ISBN: 9780470467244

Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 9.1 x 0.0 inches

Product Weight: 20.0 ounces