String and Membrane Theories, in Everyday Language

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence

String theory (with Membrane theory as its extension) is perhaps the most high-profile candidate for what physicists call a theory of everything – a single framework capable of describing the entirety of the known universe. In this course we discuss the basic theoretical ideas, including the string-theoretic origin of gravity, the theory of extra dimensions of space, the connection between strings and black holes, the "landscape" of string theory, and the holographic principle.

At present, physicists have to rely on two such frameworks. Quantum theory, which accurately describes the physics of the very small, and general relativity, developed by Albert Einstein, which describes the physics of the enormously large. The trouble is, the two theories don’t get along.

The trouble boils down to gravity. It’s the only one of the four fundamental forces of nature described by general relativity, and the only one that quantum theory cannot address. Coming up with a model that ties up all four forces in one neat package is a long-standing dream for theoretical physicists.

String theory claims to make that dream a reality. In simple terms, it does this by reimagining what reality is made of. Instead of treating subatomic particles as the fundamental building blocks of matter, string theory says that everything is made of unbelievably tiny strings, whose vibrations produce effects that we interpret as atoms, electrons and quarks.

No previous background in Physics or Mathematics is required. A high school level understanding of science is sufficient. We explore all the topics in everyday language, without being bogged down by Math and Equations. The purpose of this course is to have fun with String Theory. We start from the very basics, starting with fundamentals of relativity and quantum mechanics, using that base to build