It's indeed surprising that replacing the elementary particle with a string leads to such a big change in things. I'm tempted to say that it has to do with the fuzziness it introduces. — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
“If one of the five theories describes our univers, who lives in the other four worlds” — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
The theory has to be interpreted that extra dimensions beyond the ordinary four dimensions the three spatial dimensions plus time are sufficiently small that… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
You enter a completely new world where things aren't at all what you're used to. — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
On the other hand, we don't understand the theory too completely, and because of this fuzziness of spacetime, the very concept of spacetime and… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
As of now, string theorists have no explanation of why there are three large dimensions as well as time, and the other dimensions are… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
Technically you need the extra dimensions. At first people didn't like them too much, but they've got a big benefit, which is that the… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
In Einstein's general relativity the structure of space can change but not its topology. Topology is the property of something that doesn't change when… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
Having those extra dimensions and therefore many ways the string can vibrate in many different directions turns out to be the key to being… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
Even before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th century, it turned out that the equations that really work in describing nature… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
I just think too many nice things have happened in string theory for it to be all wrong. Humans do not understand it very… — Edward Witten Copy Share Image
