String Theory: The Musical Universe
Photo via flickr by Rickydavid
String Theory has been postulated as the Unified Theory that Einstein sought to achieve during the last thirty years of his life. String Theory states that the universe is composed of tiny vibrating strings with wave patterns similar to those made by common violin strings. Although not visible to the eye, these strings are said to lie deep within matter. String Theory states that all things are made out of vibrating energy.
String Theory says that deep inside any of these particles, electrons, quarks, and some of the other more exotic species of particles, inside of each of these is something else. It’s a little filament, a little filament of vibrating energy. It kind of looks like a string, and that’s where the name of String Theory comes from. And the key is that we don’t hear these different patterns as different musical notes. Rather we see them as different particles. So an electron is simply a string vibrating in one pattern, like an “A” flat. A quark is a string vibrating in a different pattern, a “B.” In a sense then, it’s as if everything in the universe is kind of musical. It’s like the Music of the Spheres injected into the structure of the universe at a microscopic level.
—Brian Greene, physicist, 2001 Sputnik conference, manTRANSforms, 0:03:22:13
When we see the universe around us we see atoms, subatomic particles of all kinds. Today we realize that all these subatomic particles with all these Greek names can be summarized as nothing but notes, musical notes, on a vibrating superstring. The notes on the string correspond to the subatomic particles like electrons and quarks. The melodies of the string correspond to modern chemistry – all the chemistry of dna and proteins are melodies played out on the string. The universe is a symphony of superstrings.
—Michio Kaku, physicist, from a conversation with Sputnik Observatory, 0:29:17:04