The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions,
and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory is a book by Brian Greene published in
1999, which introduces string and superstring theory, and provides a
comprehensive though non-technical assessment of the theory and some of its
shortcomings. A new edition was released in 2003, with an updated preface.
Beginning with a brief
consideration of classical physics, which concentrates on the major conflicts
in physics, Greene establishes a historical context for string theory as a
necessary means of integrating the probabilistic world of the standard model of
particle physics and the deterministic Newtonian physics of the macroscopic
world. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics:
unification of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity and Quantum
Mechanics. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two
conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought
experiments to provide a means for the layman to come to terms with the theory
which has the potential to create a unified theory of physics.
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