String theory is the concept in theoretical physics that truth is made up of infinitesimal vibrating strings, smaller sized than atoms, electrons or quarks. String theory has been held up as a possible “theory of whatever,” a single structure that could unify basic relativity and quantum mechanics, 2 theories that underlie almost all of modern-day physics. After string theory gained prominence in the late 1960s and 70s, its appeal among theoretical physicists fluctuated, according to a lecture by California Institute of Technology physicist John Schwarz, extensively considered one of the founders of string theory. How did string theory evolve?String theory today doesnt exactly match string theory of the 70s and 1960s. Witten argued that the 5 string theories each represented an approximation of a more fundamental, 11-dimensional theory as it behaved in a particular circumstance, much as how Einsteins area- and time-bending theories of relativity match Newtons description of items moving at regular speeds.
Not Even Wrong.” Not Even Wrong (blog site). Accessed January 17, 2022. https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?page_id=4338. Wolchover, Natalie. “Dark Energy May Be Incompatible With String Theory.” Quanta Magazine, August 9, 2018. https://www.quantamagazine.org/dark-energy-may-be-incompatible-with-string-theory-20180809/.
