THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY November 26, 2003 superstring theory
______________________ SPONSORED BY: IBM What makes an on demand business, on demand? In a word, integration. Integrated people, integrated processes, integrated applications. That's where middleware like IBM WebSphere can help. See how WebSphere Business Integration delivers. On demand. Get your copy of the Business Integration white paper today. http://www.ibm.com/websphere/news/biwp ______________________ TODAY'S WORD: superstring theory See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci341514,00.html?track=NL-34 Superstring theory - known less formally as "string theory" - is sometimes called the theory of everything (TOE), because it is a unifying physics theory that reconciles the differences between quantum theory and the theory of relativity to explain the nature of all known forces and matter. According to string theory, at the most microscopic level, everything in the universe is made up of loops of vibrating strings, and apparent particle differences can be attributed to variations of vibration. An object (such as an apple, for example) and a force (such as radiation, for example) can both be broken down into atoms, which can be further broken down into electrons and quarks, which can be, finally, broken down into tiny, vibrating loops of strings. Quantum theory explains the nature and behavior of energy and matter on the microscopic scale, while the theory of relativity explains it on the macroscopic scale. Taken together, they form the basis for modern physics; nevertheless, integral aspects of the two theories conflict with each other in ways that have never been satisfactorily addressed. Although the theories work perfectly separately, equations involving both don't work at all. Einstein himself, unconvinced that nature would require entirely different modes of behavior for differently scaled phenomena, spent thirty years searching for what he called the unified field theory. Superstring theory came to the forefront in the 1980s, when Michael Green at Queen Mary College and John Schwarz at the California Institute of Technology demonstrated that it had the potential to be the unifying theory that Einstein sought: one that could be used to describe gravity as well as electromagnetic forces. According to string theory: - All forces and particles in nature are derived from variations in vibrations of strings. As an example, gravity is said to arise from the lowest vibration of a closed string. - There are ten dimensions in the natural world (nine spatial dimensions plus time), rather than the four of classical science (the three spatial dimensions plus time). What causes the extra six dimensions to be largely unnoticed is that they are considered to be compacted or curled up. - The reason that general relativity doesn't work at the subatomic level is because the equation mistakenly includes a figure for point-like particles. Modifying the equation to include a representation of loops of string, instead, makes the equation work. - String theorists are currently examining the possibility that the strings themselves have multiple dimensions, and are not, as was originally thought, massless (possessing only length, and no width). The idea is that the strings may actually be membranes. _______________________ RELATED TERMS: quantum theory http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci332247,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: This Superstring Theory Web site can be enjoyed by non-scientists, as well as by scientists. http://www.superstringtheory.com/ ______________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: MCBRIDE INTIMATES CODE CLEANUP IN LINUX NIGH IMPOSSIBLE SCO Group CEO Darl McBride reacts to the latest volley from the open source community, and he suggests that cleaning up the Linux code that, according to SCO, infringes on the company's Unix IP would leave the open source OS virtually unrecognizable. http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci938714,00.html?track=NL-34 MICROSOFT, USER DIFFER ON DETAILS OF EXCHANGE 2003 FLAW A network admin found a flaw in an Exchange Server 2003 component, and Microsoft says the flaw occurs only with certain configurations. That isn't so, says the admin. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci938649,00.html?track=NL-34 WACHOVIA COMPLIANCE CHIEF 'JOINED AT HIP' WITH CIO The title of chief compliance officer (CCO) is a relatively new one at Wachovia Corp., the Charlotte, N.C.-based banking giant and the fifth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on assets ($389 billion). But in this day and age, it's a necessary role. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/qna/0,289202,sid19_gci938690,00.html?track=NL-34 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34 _____________________ THANKSGIVING QUIZ | General IT terms The questions are tough, but the answers are quite entertaining! Feed your brain. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci938152,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY | What is IT? It's sad when good data goes bad! This is the deterioration of computer data as a result of some external agent. >> See if you're right! http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/gDefinition/0,294236,sid11_gci869622,00.html?track=NL-34 _____________________ LEARN IT IN 10 EASY STEPS | Web Services Web services are services that are made available from a business's server for Web users. Almost any product can be sold on the Web and many services can actually be performed on the Web, remotely and without human intervention. This Learn IT intends to give you a "quick handle" on what Web services is all about and what you and your business may want to do about it now. http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci934542,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] SPML http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci938390,00.html?track=NL-34 [2] agile software development http://searchvb.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid8_gci936457,00.html?track=NL-34 [3] myoelectric signal http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci936219,00.html?track=NL-34 [4] TCP/IP offload engine http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci935358,00.html?track=NL-34 [5] mail transfer agent http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci876011,00.html?track=NL-34 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: MARGARET ROUSE, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Consulting Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) LOWELL THING, Consulting Editor and Founder ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) GABRIELLE DERUSSY, Advertising ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This newsletter is published by TechTarget, the most targeted IT media. http://www.techtarget.com?track=NL-34 Copyright 2003 TechTarget. 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