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The Elegant Universe - String's The Thing

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“The Elegant Universe,” a new PBS NOVA program hosted by Dr. Greene, will help you and your students understand the fascinating, mind-boggling world according to string theory. The program explores the search for the ultimate theory, or theory of everything, which can unify the physics of general relativity with those of quantum mechanics. At the heart of this quest is string theory.
What’s string? Greene explains: “Electrons and quarks, little dots that you couldn’t divide any further,” that was the old idea. “Now we imagine that those dots are really little filaments, little string-like filaments of energy that can vibrate.” Like the strings of a violin, string-theory filaments “vibrate in a wealth of different patterns, but instead of hearing them as notes, we see them as different particles. So an electron is a string vibrating one way; a quark is a string vibrating a different way.”

One of the more intriguing things about string theory is that it implies more than four dimensions, possibly as many as eleven! But the other dimensions are so small that we can’t perceive them. Imagining more than four dimensions is one of the challenges of describing the theory. But “The Elegant Universe” uses numerous graphics to paint a picture that’s easier to understand. Viewers will even get to visit the Quantum Café, where they can experience life at the quantum level, where ice cubes can pass through glasses.

As you’ve probably already guessed, this week’s show is geared toward advanced students. So be sure to catch “The Elegant Universe,” and follow up your viewing with the activities suggested here. They’ll put a new spin on the phrase “no strings attached.”

The Elegant Universe Part 2: String's The Thing (1/5)

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The Elegant Universe Part 2: String's The Thing (2/5)

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The Elegant Universe 3: Welcome to the 11th Dimension (3/5)

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The Elegant Universe 3: Welcome to the 11th Dimension (4/5)

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The Elegant Universe 3: Welcome to the 11th Dimension (5/5)

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