NOVA

One day, one of the few that I was a Physics major at Humboldt State, Arron asked me about String Theory. He was correct in assuming that I should know something about this. I felt I should have. However, after watching Brian Greene in a NOVA episode on PBS last night (and a few weeks ago in my art history class), I now can feel okay with my then reaction. "Uh . . . well, it's, um . . . complicated. Why should I know, Jackass!?!." Except for the temper issue, I was completely correct. It is complicated. And most people, even many sciencey physics people, don't really get it. The big hang up is that there are too many dimensions to wrap your head around. They say we live in a universe that has up to eleven dimensions! I don't like that number; it is too odd. I would like a universe with more symmetry than that. Or at least symbolic meaning. Then again, there is Pi, which is beautiful in it's wackiness. Still, so many dimensions!

One of the theories is that we live on a membrane-like structure that consists of only four of those dimensions - X, Y, Z, and time. If that is true then there are whole other universes on other membranes that might be closer to us than you are to me. What caused the Big Bang would then be a simple periodic touching of these shifting membranes.

In conclusion, String Theory might not even involve strings of any kind, and many Physicists now call it M Theory. M stands for mystery, or magic. Or murky.