String Theory: Digging Deep Into the Physics of the Universe

What is string theory? One of the newest fields of physics, string theory tries to explain how gravity behaves in the universe. In order to describe it, we need to get very, very small -- smaller than the smallest particles in the universe! 

There are so many ways to explain nature, but none of them are complete. As humans have started to understand more and more about the universe, we have been able to get deeper into the physics behind that understanding. We went from understanding how the solar system moves (thanks Copernicus and Kepler!), to understanding the laws of motion in the universe (thanks Newton!), to revealing the world of quantum mechanics (thanks Einstein!). And now many physicists look to string theory to go deeper and understand gravity at a quantum level (the smallest level there is). 

In order to understand gravity, though, we need to understand what everything in the universe is made out of at its smallest level. That's where string theory comes in. 

In this class we will cover what types of string theories are being developed, and what some of the dimensions in these universes might be like. We'll explore geometry, energy and vibration, and the nature of spacetime. We'll also talk about some of the criticism against string theory. We'll have to get very, very small for this class, so bring your imagination along for the ride! 

Learners should have exposure to physics concepts such as fundamental forces and atoms. The class is structured using visual elements as a guide and relies on interaction to ensure all learners understand the concepts we are discussing.