It is written not only with the passion of a practitioner and the broad knowledge and fresh mind of an accomplished young Oxford professor but also with an effort to be understood by enthusiasts of popular science, either young students with an interest in science, researchers in other fields, or the general public. "This is arguably the most compelling set of arguments to explain why string theory has been so attractive to several generations of theoretical physicists in the past three decades despite the lack of experimental evidence. Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, USA Highly recommended for a lay reader with an interest in fundamental physics." The surprising connections with other areas of physics and mathematics are clearly explained. It includes the history of how it was developed, with its interesting twists and turns. "A very engaging and up-to-date discussion of string theory that describes its main goals and achievements. Pedro Ferreira, Author of The Perfect Theory, and Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, UK This is a timely, intelligent, and exciting book that describes the joy and pain of working at the frontiers of theoretical physics." He offers a balanced account of its successes and failures and presents a robust response to the critics of string theory. With remarkable clarity and clear prose, Conlon assembles the edifice of string theory in a way that makes it clear why it is such an important intellectual endeavour. Building on the successes of fundamental particle physics and general relativity, string theory attempts to dig deeper into reality and to come up with a more consistent and mathematically powerful approach to how the universe works. "Joe Conlon has taken on the formidable task of explaining string theory, one of the great theoretical developments of the late 20th century. Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, University of Oxford, UK, and Author of The Music of the Primes Why String Theory? wonderfully unwraps the science, history and philosophy behind one of the most challenging theories of the twenty-first century." So why do physicists study it and what is it? To answer these questions you need an insider like Conlon, the perfect guide to lead you into the mysterious world of vibrating strings and multidimensional space. And yet it is one of the biggest games in town. "There is no direct experimental evidence for string theory. Why Strings? Cosmology and Particle PhysicsĪ Thousand Flowers Blooming: Styles of Science THE UNIVERSE WAS YOUNG, SMOOTH AND HOT, BUT IS NOW OLD, COLD AND WRINKLYÄirect Experimental Evidence for String Theory THE WORLD REALLY, HONESTLY, TRULY IS DESCRIBED BY QUANTUM MECHANICS THE WORLD IS DESCRIBED BY QUANTUM MECHANICS SPACE AND TIME ARE CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH
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