Why String Theory?

Physics World's 'Book of the Year' for 2016 An Entertaining and Enlightening Guide to the Who, What, and Why of String Theory, now also available in an updated reflowable electronic format compatible with mobile devices and e-readers. 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 a highly readable 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. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 Section I: Why?......Page 14 Chapter 1: The Long Wait......Page 16 Chapter 2: Scales of Science: Little and Large......Page 24 Chapter 3: Big Lessons of Physics......Page 34 Chapter 4: The Truth Is Out There......Page 66 Section II: What?......Page 78 Chapter 5: What Was String Theory?......Page 80 Chapter 6: What Is String Theory?......Page 106 Section III: What For?......Page 118 Chapter 7: Direct Experimental Evidence for String Theory......Page 120 Chapter 8: Why Strings? Quantum Field Theory......Page 122 Chapter 9: Why Strings? Mathematics......Page 150 Chapter 10: Why Strings? Cosmology and Particle Physics......Page 168 Chapter 11: Why Strings? Quantum Gravity......Page 192 Section IV: Who?......Page 206 Chapter 12: A Thousand Flowers Blooming: Styles of Science......Page 208 Chapter 13: #EpicFail? Criticisms of String Theory......Page 226 Chapter 14: Why String Theory?......Page 240 Notes and Bibliography......Page 250 Back Cover......Page 256 Is string theory a fraud or one of the great scientific advances? Why do so many physicists work on string theory if it cannot be tested? This book provides insight into why such a theory, with little direct experimental support, plays such a prominent role in theoretical physics. The book gives a modern and accurate account of string theory and science, explaining what string theory is, why it is regarded as so promising, and why it is hard to test **Physics World's 'Book of the Year' for 2016**__An Entertaining and Enlightening Guide to the Who, What, and Why of String Theory, now also available in an updated reflowable electronic format compatible with mobile devices and e-readers.__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?**