It’s the holy grail of physics—the search for the ultimate explanation of how the universe works. And in the past few years, excitement has grown among scientists in pursuit of a revolutionary approach to unify nature’s four fundamental forces through a set of ideas known as superstring theory. NOVA unravels this intriguing theory in its three-part series “The Elegant Universe,” based on physicist Brian Greene’s best-selling book of the same name. The video series can be seen online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/elegant-universe.html The Elegant Universe: Pt 1 Einstein's Dream: Combining the laws of the universe in one theory that explains it all is the Holy Grail of physics. In this section, you will do the following:
Describe what string theory is
Describe and explain each of the four fundamental forces in nature.
Gravity, including how you experience it, and how it effects objects beyond Earth
Electromagnetism
Strong force
Weak force
Describe the progression in our understanding of the universe throughout scientific history, from Newton’s laws to quantum mechanics
Describe the need for unification within physics, and the challenges that physicists face in accomplishing it.
The Elegant Universe: Pt 2 String’s the Thing: Do miniscule vibrating strands of energy hold the key to a unified theory of physics? In this section, you will:
Describe the development of string theory, including:
What it aims to accomplish, and why this is important
What obstacles were encountered in developing it, and how they were dealt with
How physicists will know if string theory is true
Describe what criticism/opposition is raised by some physicists regarding string theory
The Elegant Universe: Pt 3 Welcome to the 11th Dimension: Will experimental particle physics confirm the wild predictions of string theory? In this section you will
Describe what the universe might be like if string theory is correct, including:
Wormholes
Extra dimensions
Parallel universes
Membranes
Describe how M-theory has contributed to physicists’ quest for unification
Describe how physicists can experimentally test the theory
Report/Presentation You should take notes about these items while watching the video, so that you can craft a written report. This report should be typed (or very neatly hand-written), and follow the organization outlined above. You should develop your ideas appropriately—something along the lines of a paragraph per bullet point, including relevant support, facts, and information. It will be due on the day of the final, either in hard copy form to the inbox, or electronically to [email protected].
Additionally, you will be assigned a section to present (or co-present) on the day of the final. This can be done as a poster or slideshow. It should contain additional visual components (pictures, video, or even demonstrations) appropriate to your content.