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The previous sentence was not neutral and suggested a strict contradiction between a model of the universe with more than 4 dimensions with a universe with 4, day-to-day, perceived dimensions |
Text summarized; using a more neutral tone |
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In the 1980s, a new mathematical model of [[theoretical physics]], called [[string theory]], emerged. It showed how all the different subatomic particles known to science could be constructed by hypothetical one-dimensional "strings", infinitesimal building-blocks that have only the dimension of length, but not height or width. These strings vibrate in multiple dimensions and, depending on how they vibrate, they might be seen in three-dimensional space as matter, light or gravity. In string theory, every form of matter is said to be the result of the vibration of strings.
However, for string theory to be mathematically consistent, the strings must be in a universe of ten [[dimension]]s. This opposes our perception of the universe to have four dimensions: three space dimensions (height, width, and length) and one time dimension.
String theory as described above ran into a problem: another version of the equations was discovered, then another, and then another. Eventually, five major string theories were developed. The main differences between the theories were principally the number of dimensions in which the strings developed, and their characteristics (some were open loops, some were closed loops, etc.). Furthermore, all these theories appeared to be workable. Scientists were not comfortable with five seemingly contradictory sets of equations to describe the same thing.
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