Why String Theory?

By: Joseph Conlon

Narrated by: Robbie Stevens

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Physics World's "Book of the Year" for 2016. An Entertaining and Enlightening Guide to the Who, What, and Why of String Theory.

During the last 50 years, numerous physicists have tried to unravel the secrets of string theory. Yet why do these scientists work on a theory lacking experimental confirmation? Why String Theory? provides the answer, offering an easily understood and accessible panorama of the who, what, and why of this large aspect of modern theoretical physics. The author, a theoretical physics professor at the University of Oxford and a leading string theorist, explains what string theory is and where it originated. He describes how string theory fits into physics and why so many physicists and mathematicians find it appealing when working on topics from M-theory to monsters and from cosmology to superconductors.

©2020 Taylor & Francis (P)2020 CRC Press

Critic reviews

"There is no direct experimental evidence for string theory. And yet it is one of the biggest games in town. 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. Why String Theory? wonderfully unwraps the science, history and philosophy behind one of the most challenging theories of the twenty-first century." —Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, University of Oxford, UK, and Author of The Music of the Primes

"Joe Conlon has taken on the formidable task of explaining string theory, one of the great theoretical developments of the late 20th century. 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. 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. He offers a balanced account of its successes and failures and presents a robust response to the critics of string theory. This is a timely, intelligent, and exciting book that describes the joy and pain of working at the frontiers of theoretical physics."—Pedro Ferreira, Author of The Perfect Theory, and Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, UK

"A very engaging and up-to-date discussion of string theory that describes its main goals and achievements. It includes the history of how it was developed, with its interesting twists and turns. The surprising connections with other areas of physics and mathematics are clearly explained. Highly recommended for a lay reader with an interest in fundamental physics."—Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Unconvincing, but worth the reading

The arguments the author brings are unconvincing, because the problem with string theory: unverifiability and nepotism, are not sufficiently addressed. The fact that it is a beautiful theory of nothing phiscal and that it helped math or some calculations is not sufficient nt justification for blocking two generations of physicists from pursuing anything else. Wasted money, wasted talents. All due to big minds overconfidence.