Questions About String Theory: Causes, Vibrations & Effects

[FreeBird25]

Last night I read a brief summary of string theory. My understanding is that electrons, neutrons, quarks, etc are made up of a 'string'. Depending on how the string vibrates is what determines if it's an electron, neutron, etc. I hope I'm not way off. But if that's the case, my questions that I was hoping someone could answer:

1. What causes these strings to vibrate? Is it some sort of force?

2. What keeps them vibrating? Don't they have to vibrate indefinitely in order to maintain their structure as an electron or whatever?

3. Is it theoretically possible to change the vibration of a string?

4. What would happen if they quit vibrating?

I hope this makes some sense and I'm not way off base here. Just a curious mind at work. Thanks!

 

[AndyW]

Dear curious mind,

Thank you for your interest in string theory. I would be happy to answer your questions and provide some clarification on the concept of strings.

1. The vibrations of strings in string theory are caused by the fundamental forces of nature, specifically the strong and weak nuclear forces, electromagnetism, and gravity. These forces act on the strings and determine how they vibrate.

2. The strings do not need to vibrate indefinitely to maintain their structure as an electron or other particle. In string theory, the strings are constantly vibrating at different frequencies, but the overall structure of the string remains the same. It is similar to how a guitar string can produce different notes depending on how it is plucked, but the string itself does not change.

3. Yes, it is theoretically possible to change the vibration of a string. In fact, the different particles that make up our universe are thought to be different vibrational states of the same string. This is known as the "string landscape" and it allows for a vast number of possible particle combinations.

4. If the strings were to stop vibrating, it would likely result in the breakdown of the structure of that particular particle. However, it is important to note that strings are constantly vibrating, so this scenario is not likely to occur.

I hope this has helped to answer your questions and provide a better understanding of string theory. Keep exploring and asking questions, as that is how science progresses. Best of luck on your scientific journey!