what is the idea behind the string theories?

[aekanshchumber]

hello,

from sometime in past i was in contact of the string theories. But one thing that clicked in my mind that how does the physicst started the idea of the string theories (all of them) like Newton formulated the law of gravitational force after he observed the motion of the moon around the earth and compared it to the falling of an apple. what was that point or incident which incouraged the theorist to formulate the string theories and how did they reach at the conclusion that the universe exists in 7,10 or 11 dimensions.
all the help is appreciated also if someone can tell me that what is the mathematics behind it i'd be grateful to.

Thanks

[marlon]

Check out this site :
http://www.superstringtheory.com/index.html

[marlon]

or this one :

http://tena4.vub.ac.be/beyondstringtheory/mtheory.html

regards
marlon

[sol2]

Here are a few links to conisder as well


Extra-dimension and String Theory -- http://superstringtheory.com/experm/exper5a.html

Relativity -- http://www.physics.fsu.edu/Courses/Spring98/AST3033/Relativity/GeneralRelativity.htm

Quantum Field Theory -- http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/hep-th/9702027

Standard Model -- http://superstringtheory.com/experm/exper2a.html

S-matrix -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S_matrix

Feynman Diagram -- http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/theory/feynman.html

Feynman Diagram, Animations -- http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/physics/animations/Feynman_diagrams/index.html

Supersymmetry -- http://www.cerncourier.com/main/article/40/10/19

Supersymmetry -- "Physics Beyond the Standard Model", Gordon Kane, Scientific American, Volume 288, Number 6, June 2003, pp 68-75.

Superstrings -- http://www.sukidog.com/jpierre/strings/

Superstrings, the Second Revolution -- http://www.theory.caltech.edu/people/jhs/strings/

M-Theory -- http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/qg_ss.html

Quantum Gravity, Overview -- http://www.utdallas.edu/~loper/research/19980422.pdf