Edward Witten Quotes About String Theory

• String theory is 21 st century physics that fell accidentally into the 20th century.

  Edward Witten

  Physics, Century, Strings

• Even before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th century, it turned out that the equations that really work in describing nature with the most generality and the greatest simplicity are very elegant and subtle.

  Edward Witten

  Nature, Simplicity, Physics

  "Viewpoints on String Theory: Edward Witten". "NOVA" interview, www.pbs.org. July 2003.

• I just think too many nice things have happened in string theory for it to be all wrong. Humans do not understand it very well, but I just don't believe there is a big cosmic conspiracy that created this incredible thing that has nothing to do with the real world.

  Edward Witten

  Real, Nice, Believe

  "Physics' sharpest mind since Einstein" by Candy Crowley, www.cnn.com. July 5, 2005.

• So when you ask me how string theory might be tested, I can tell you what's likely to happen at accelerators or some parts of the theory that are likely to be tested.

  Edward Witten

  Might, Strings, Theory

• Quantum mechanics brought an unexpected fuzziness into physics because of quantum uncertainty, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. String theory does so again because a point particle is replaced by a string, which is more spread out.

  Edward Witten

  Uncertainty Principle, Principles, Doe

• Superstring theories provide a framework in which the force of gravity may be united with the other three forces in nature: the weak, electromagnetic and strong forces. Recent progress has shown that the most promising superstring theories follow from a single theory. For the last generation, physicists have studied five string theories and one close cousin. Recently it has become clear that these five or six theories are different limiting cases of one theory which, though still scarcely understood, is the candidate for superunification of the forces of nature.

  Edward Witten

  Strong, Cousin, Progress

• One very important aspect of string theory is definitely testable. That was the prediction of supersymmetry, which emerged from string theory in the early '70s.

  Edward Witten

  Important, Predictions, Strings

• String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a little point but as a little loop of vibrating string.

  Edward Witten

  Nature, Thinking, Littles

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