/sci/ - Science & Math

This is string.

>>9060204
this is a string

>>9060324
>>9060380

Underrated posts

>>9060204
A bit of fringe mathematics that has no connection to reality.

Alternately a strand of material that is much longer than its width and has strength in tension.

>>9060204
told you to stay in trade school

>>9060204
Sequences

>>9060204
An array of characters

I wish that string theory, in particular the mathematical concepts, would be better documented. That means in mathematic language, not physics guess-what-i-am-fucking-talking-about language. I feel that soon everyone who remotely has an overview over both the physical and mathematical concepts will be ded and lots of knowledge might either be lost, or written down in such a obfusciated way that new researchers will simply avoid it.

>>9061050
"Quantum Fields and Strings" by Deligne et al.

"Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry" by Aspinwall et al.

etc.

>>9061319
I do not know "Dirichlet Branes and Mirror Symmetry", will give it a try, thanks.

I have the two volumes of "Quantum Fields and Strings", and I think they are ambitious attempts, but fail to serve as material to teach someone about the theory who does not already know it in some sense. That is primarily because of the inconsistent and mostly unclear language used, e.g. using [math]\delta[/math] as a symbol and expecting the reader to guess which type of derivative it denotes (this example was somewhere in the chapter that concerned generalized vector fields if I recall correctly). I think the two volumes are excelent as a base for a project like that HTT book which would ensure consistency throughout the book, and not make it seem like a collection of articles.

>>9060204
autism

this is where physics goes when you have no experimental results one way or another to disprove your retarded ideas

>>9060204
They are the parts of the piano that make a sound when struck by a hammer. Alternative uses include being used for assassination by asphyxiation, which virtually all physishits are deserving of for desecrating mathematics with their flotsam.

>>9061970
I'm reading Michio Kaku's book Hyperspace, and it does a really good job at explaining these kind of ideas for lay-people without going into the nitty-gritty mathematical details. I think he's a good writer.

>>9062016
Please be bait.

>>9062050
Hey, I was in that Michio Kaku thread the other day, I know you guys don't like meme science, and he's been a big part of it. But when he's writing a book that's actually in his field of expertise, he's good, so back off.

>>9060204
I'll try to keep this simple.
String theory proposes that the fundamental particles are actually little string like objects that wiggle & shit, & different wiggles make the different fundamental particles we see all of out the same base object.

We don't know much more since there isn't any direct proof yet, that being said it's given a good amount of support because of how the idea came about, & that IF some other things we reckon are true turn out to be true, then strings should ALSO be true. So I cant really tell you what a "string" is, I generally imagine them as quantum rubber bands.

The way the theory came about makes a lot of sense. It's an attempt to unify gravity with quantum mechanics.
When particles interact in quantum field theory they exchange a virtual particle that expresses the force. (So for example, 2 electrons repel by getting really close then a photon goes from 1 to the other to "exchange" the force of electromagnetism).
When you do this with virtual particles that have MASS, things get a bit shady & the maths goes all arse over tit, since you end up with probabilities that are greater than 1 (which tells you that you fucked up).
So, you start messing with the maths to try to find a way to fix the problems while still remaining consistent with quantum field theory (Since it's got a very very good track record & the chances it's wrong are lower than you just being stupid)
In order to fix it you end up adding maths that mean you have a new particle. This is how the recently discovered higgs was invented in relation to W bosons (a virtual particle that has mass)

NOW, you try to do this SAME thing with gravitons (this is what people think would transmit the force of gravity). Only one solution has been found this way that unites gravity into quantum field theory. BUT WAIT, the maths looks exactly the same as the behaviour of strings!
You now have basic string theory.
Theorists then play with it to see what new shit it makes.

>>9062085
Bitch, did you even pay attention to the post trail you replied to? People are discussing monographs, in particular the need for more thorough overviews of the mathematics involved in string theory. Why do you think anyone here cares about your popsci shit?