THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY May 2, 2001 M-theory ______________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: TechSanity Get smart fast! Get TechSanity! Ed Bott, author of 15 books on Windows and Office, serves up tips, tricks and help in this free newsletter. http://whatis.techtarget.com/techsanity/0,289905,sid9,00.html _____________ TODAY'S WORD: M-theory See our the definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci549055,00.html M-theory (the "M" stands for the mother of all theories, magic, mystery, or matrix, depending on the source) is an adaptation of superstring theory developed by Ed Witten of Princeton and Paul Townsend of Cambridge. Townsend and Witten's version could potentially be the unified field theory sought by Einstein for the last 40 years of his life: a simple equation that would reconcile incompatible aspects of his theory of relativity and quantum theory to explain the nature and behavior of all matter and energy. Applications of this knowledge could, through unlocking nature's secrets, enable future technologies that currently are only spoken of within the realm of science fiction: an inexhaustible source of clean energy, and time travel, for example. Superstring theory (sometimes just called string theory) has as its basic premise the belief that the four fundamental forces of nature (gravity, electromagnetism, and strong and weak nuclear forces), as well as all matter are simply different manifestations of a single essence. This essence, the material making up all energy and matter, is thought to consist of tiny (a hundred billion billion times smaller than the nucleus of an atom) vibrating strings that exist in a multi-dimensional (10 or 26 dimensions) hyperspace. The extra dimensions (beyond the ones we recognize: three spatial dimensions and time) are thought to be compactified, or curled up, into tiny pockets inside observable space. The particular vibrations of the strings within this multidimensional hyperspace are thought to correspond to particles that form the basis of everything - all matter and energy - in existence. RELATED TERMS: superstring theory http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci341514,00.html quantum theory http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci332247,00.html ________________ SELECTED LINKS [1] There is more in "M-theory, the theory formerly known as Strings." http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/qg_ss.html [2] Edward Witten's lecture, "Duality, Spacetime and Quantum Mechanics," is available online. http://online.itp.ucsb.edu/online/plecture/witten/ [3] The Duke University Computer Science Department provides a paper, "The Search for a Theory of Everything." http://www.cs.duke.edu/~clk/papers/phy49s/finalpaper.html ____________________ TECHTARGET FEATURE SQL For Dummies, 4th Edition By: Allen Taylor This book shows you how to use DBMS to define, administer, and process databases and their associated applications. It shows programmers how to incorporate SQL into programs for powerful data manipulation and retrieval, including operation on non-text objects such as graphical images and sound files. Take advantage of SQL's rich assortment of tools and powerful new object-relational features to snag all the information you need from your databases quickly and easily. http://www.digitalguru.com/dgstore/product.asp?isbn=0764507370&ac_id=76 __________________________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR! What do you like? Networks? Computer Games? Shareware? Get FREE info on the topics that interest you most. Postmaster Direct will find related news, information and special offers and deliver them directly to your e-mailbox, all at no charge! http://whatis.techtarget.com/postmasterDirect/1,289639,sid9,00.html _________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS [1] Windows Hardware Quality Labs http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci547957,00.html [2] gray http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci548160,00.html [3] dielectric constant http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci548179,00.html [4] TiVo http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci548191,00.html [5] Fast Guide to Technology News http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci546699,00.html To Remove your email address from the distribution list for this specific newsletter "Reply" to this message with REMOVE in the subject line. You will receive an email confirming that you have been removed. To Remove yourself from additional distribution lists or to update your preferences, go to the WhatIs.com registration page at: http://WhatIs.techtarget.com/register
