Understanding Strings: Basic Concepts Explained

In summary, the concept of strings in string theory is compared to a string on a musical instrument. These strings are believed to be the fundamental building blocks of all particles and phenomena. There is a question of what exactly these strings represent and how they relate to real particles and their behaviors.
  • #1
planet-75
10
1
TL;DR Summary
What are Strings?
I don't have the requirements (thorough knowledge of SRT, ART etc.) to get into this theory, but I would like to get an idea about this word.

For the simplest case of a one-dimensional string, it is compared to a string from a musical instrument. Now the question is, what this string should represent. Is it something like an oscillation or a standing wave? Then the question arises, what the oscillation or standing wave would actually mean. To which specific phenomenon of the real particles would there be a relation?
 
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  • #2
planet-75 said:
the question is, what this string should represent

In string theory, strings are the fundamental objects from which everything else is made.

planet-75 said:
To which specific phenomenon of the real particles would there be a relation?

In string theory, strings ultimately account for all phenomena. What we currently think of as "particles" (or more precisely quantum fields and their excitations) are particular kinds of string vibrations.
 
  • #3
@planet-75 :
Here's a very short introduction to Strings by Leonard Susskind (interviewed by Brian Cox):
 

1. What are strings in programming?

Strings are a data type used in programming to represent a sequence of characters. They are typically used to store and manipulate text-based data.

2. How are strings represented in code?

In most programming languages, strings are represented using either single quotes ('') or double quotes (""). Some languages also have special characters to denote strings, such as backticks (`) in JavaScript.

3. Can strings contain numbers?

Yes, strings can contain numbers as well as letters and other characters. However, it is important to note that strings are treated as text and not as numerical values when used in calculations or comparisons.

4. How are strings manipulated in code?

Strings can be manipulated in various ways, depending on the programming language. Some common operations include concatenation (combining two or more strings), slicing (extracting a portion of a string), and searching and replacing specific characters or substrings within a string.

5. Are strings mutable or immutable?

This depends on the programming language. In some languages, strings are immutable, meaning they cannot be changed once created. In others, they are mutable, meaning they can be modified after creation. It is important to check the documentation of the specific language you are using to understand how strings are handled.

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