lily’s Reviews > The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory > Status Update
lily
is 55% done
string theory requires extra space dimensions
that must be curled up to a very small size to be consistent with our never having seen them. but a tiny string can prove a tiny space; as a string moves about, oscillating as it goes, the geometrical form of the extra dimensions plays a critical role in determining its resonant vibration, thus establishing the masses and charges of fundamental particles
— Sep 13, 2026 08:49AM
that must be curled up to a very small size to be consistent with our never having seen them. but a tiny string can prove a tiny space; as a string moves about, oscillating as it goes, the geometrical form of the extra dimensions plays a critical role in determining its resonant vibration, thus establishing the masses and charges of fundamental particles
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lily’s Previous Updates
lily
is 97% done
“gravity, in this view, exists in order that all possible observational vantage points are on completely equal footing, i.e. so that the equivalence principle holds. Similarly, non-gravitational forces exist in order that nature respect their associated gauge symmetries… all of these symmetries, as well as super symmetry, emerge from string theory.”
— Sep 13, 2026 09:15AM
lily
is 89% done
“you don’t have to search far to locate where the Big Bang occurred, for it took place where you are now, as well as everywhere else. in the beginning, all locations we now see as separate were the same location.”
— Sep 13, 2026 09:10AM
lily
is 71% done
“although we had solid reason to believe that the powerful mirror relation holds for the shape progression leading to the tear—the pinching and growing a new sphere—we realized no one knew if the mirroring continued after the tear has occurred… if true, we would have demonstrated that space can tear”
(they did)
— Sep 13, 2026 09:09AM
(they did)
lily
is 69% done
another unserious physics moniker:
mathematicians called the sequence of manipulations a Flop Transition* (relatable)
*imaged as slightly tearing the calabi-yau space at the pinch, opening it up, & gluing in another beachball-like shape that they then reinflate to a nice plump form. thus ‘flopping’ the original
beachball shape into a new orientation w/in the overall calabi-yau shape
— Sep 13, 2026 09:02AM
mathematicians called the sequence of manipulations a Flop Transition* (relatable)
*imaged as slightly tearing the calabi-yau space at the pinch, opening it up, & gluing in another beachball-like shape that they then reinflate to a nice plump form. thus ‘flopping’ the original
beachball shape into a new orientation w/in the overall calabi-yau shape
lily
is 55% done
at every point in the 3 familiar extended dimensions, string theory claims that there are six hitherto unanticipated dimensions, tightly curled up into one of these rather complicated looking 6 dimensional geometrical shapes: calabi-yau spaces
— Sep 13, 2026 08:56AM
lily
is 47% done
Physicsts are so unserious with naming things. I laughed out loud at this part—
the hypothetical super partners of neutrinos and quarks are Sneutrinos and Squarks.
“…this hypothetical particle has been named the Selectron, a contraction of ‘super symmetric’ and ‘electron’…
…for photons there should be ‘Photinos’ and for the gluons there should be ‘Gluinos’”
— Sep 12, 2026 09:47PM
the hypothetical super partners of neutrinos and quarks are Sneutrinos and Squarks.
“…this hypothetical particle has been named the Selectron, a contraction of ‘super symmetric’ and ‘electron’…
…for photons there should be ‘Photinos’ and for the gluons there should be ‘Gluinos’”
lily
is 42% done
“one way that we learn about the structure of an object is by hurling other things at it and observing the precise way in which they are deflected.”
particle accelerators hurl bits of matter at each other (& other objects) and elaborate detectors analyze the resulting spray of debris. the size of the probe particle that we use sets the lower limit to the length scale to which we are sensitive.
— Sep 12, 2026 09:37PM
particle accelerators hurl bits of matter at each other (& other objects) and elaborate detectors analyze the resulting spray of debris. the size of the probe particle that we use sets the lower limit to the length scale to which we are sensitive.
lily
is 40% done
“what appear to be different elementary particles are actually notes on a fundamental string. the universe, being composed of an enormous amount of these vibrating strings is akin to a cosmic symphony”
— Sep 12, 2026 09:32PM
lily
is 39% done
according to string theory, the properties of an elementary particle, it’s mass and various force charges, are determined by the precise resonant patterns of vibration that its internal string executes.
heavier particles have internal strings that vibrate more energetically
— Sep 12, 2026 09:30PM
heavier particles have internal strings that vibrate more energetically
lily
is 37% done
“from the ancient Pythagorean ‘music of the spheres’ to the harmonies of nature that have guided inquiry through the ages, we have collectively sought the song of nature in the gentle wanderings of celestial bodies and the riotous fulminations of subatomic particles”
— Sep 12, 2026 09:26PM
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lily
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 13, 2026 09:18AM
*probe a tiny space
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