Roughly how many people in this world actually know about string theory?

[alan123hk]

Roughly how many people in this world actually know about string theory?
I'm guessing no more than a few hundred because the math of string theory is so esoteric.

 

[Frabjous]

Looking at https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/trends-physics-phds-171819 one would guess several thousand, but that would include people who are no longer active.

 

[phinds]

Define "know about". Sounds to me like you mean "fully understand" which is hardly the same thing.

 

[alan123hk]

Looking at https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/trends-physics-phds-171819 one would guess several thousand, but that would include people who are no longer active.

This appears to be just the number of doctorates awarded each year, which includes physics and all other fields of academic study. I don't think even academics with PhDs in physics necessarily have a deep understanding of string theory because there are so many different areas of study in physics.
Furthermore, I think that perhaps one or two of the ten outstanding scholars who have obtained doctorates in theoretical physics can really understand string theory thoroughly.

Define "know about". Sounds to me like you mean "fully understand" which is hardly the same thing.

Yes, I mean a deep and thorough understanding of string theory.
There are probably no more than a few hundred such geniuses among the billions of people in the world.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Yes, I mean a deep and thorough understanding of string theory.

That number could be as small as zero. Depending on your definition?
How long is a piece of string?

 

[OCR]

How long is a piece of string?

Long enough to reach each end. . . .

.

 

[StevieTNZ]

Define "know about". Sounds to me like you mean "fully understand" which is hardly the same thing.

I was going to say that. I'm sure more than a few hundred people know about string theory. It is simply delusional to think otherwise.

To the OP: your question is poorly phrased.

 

[alan123hk]

That number could be as small as zero. Depending on your definition?

I look again at the linked video clip from the first post. It seems that string theory itself is not very complete, there is still controversy, and there is no experiment to confirm its authenticity
From this perspective, perhaps until now, no one in the world has really fully understood string theory.

 

[phinds]

I look again at the linked video clip from the first post. It seems that string theory itself is not very complete, there is still controversy, and there is no experiment to confirm its authenticity
From this perspective, perhaps no one in the world really fully understands string theory.

String Theory, as I understand it, is an elegant mathematical construct that so far has no correlation to the physical world.

 

[Vanadium 50]

no correlation to the physical world.

Not so. It may be that matter is not made of strings, but some of the mathematical tools developed for strings have applications elsewhere.

 

[phinds]

Not so. It may be that matter is not made of strings, but some of the mathematical tools developed for strings have applications elsewhere.

Fair enough. I was really just thinking of String Theory as a description of matter. I may BE such a description, but no way to tell yet.