Science Forums 2

[Farsight]

I like the way String Theory moves us away from point particles, and brings higher dimensions into play. OK it doesn't always paint a picture that is easy to get a handle on, but I'm more satisfied with the concepts than those offered by the Standard Model of particle physics.

Are we sharing concepts here?

My own concept is that point particles involve intractable mathematical infinities, and messenger particles for things like Gravity have to be a red herring because they contradict General Relativity. So it's better to think of particles as "regions of space with properties". Then you can think of these regions of space as having their particular properties because of space being stretched or compressed, or bent or folded or knotted or creased. There's a natural link-up between particle physics where we're talking about small regions of space, and gravity, where we're talking about large regions of space.

Anyhow. By creased I mean like the creases down your trousers or round the bottom turnups of your jeans. These creases are the strings. They aren't "made" out of anything other than space. You can't take the creases out of your trousers and hand the creases over to me. And they're creases in more dimensions than we can see directly, and like the Flatlander creases experienced by Mr Square, we experience them as forces. Which rings so true compared to Einstein and Gravity.

OK, maybe String Theory (or "M" theory) has some way to go and might evolve or change or be renamed as Ten-Space Topology or something. I'm not sure. But I'm definitely interested.