The Varsity

String theory primer:

• Theoretical physicists are seeking a Theory of Everything to unite the four fundamental forces of physics: strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravitational.

• The strong force holds the nuclei of atoms together.

• The weak force regulates the decay of atoms.

• The electromagnetic force describes the interaction between charged objects: like charges repel and opposites attract.

• The gravitational force acting between massive bodies.

• String theory suggest that all matter, forces and energy are manifestations of the vibrations of tiny one-dimensional strings much smaller than atoms.

• Skeptics have attacked the theory because its predictions and premises cannot yet be tested through experiment.

SEE ALSO: “Physicists see a universe awash with strings” and “M-theory: a string that unites them all?”