NOVA Season 31 Episode 4
The Elegant Universe: String's the Thing (2)
Part 2, "String's the Thing," opens with a whimsical scene in a movie theater in which the history of the universe runs backwards to the Big Bang, the moment at which general relativity and quantum mechanics both came into play, and therefore the point at which our conventional model of reality breaks down. Then it's string theory to the rescue as Greene describes the steps that led from a forgotten 200-year-old mathematical formula to the first glimmerings of strings—quivering strands of energy whose different vibrations give rise to quarks, electrons, photons, and all other elementary particles. Strings are truly tiny, being smaller than an atom by the same factor that a tree is smaller than the solar system. But, as Greene explains, they are able to combine the laws of the large and the laws of the small into a proposal for a single, harmonious theory of everything.
31 - 18Battle Plan Under FireMay. 04, 2004- 31 - 17World in the Balance: China Revs Up (2)Apr. 20, 2004
- 31 - 16World in the Balance: The People Paradox (1)Apr. 20, 2004
- 31 - 15Hunt for the SupertwisterMar. 30, 2004
- 31 - 14Life and Death in the War ZoneMar. 02, 2004
- 31 - 13Crash of Flight 111Feb. 17, 2004
- 31 - 12Descent Into the IceFeb. 10, 2004
- 31 - 11Dogs and More DogsFeb. 03, 2004
- 31 - 10Secrets of the Crocodile CavesJan. 20, 2004
- 31 - 9MARS Dead or AliveJan. 04, 2004
- 31 - 8Volcano Above the CloudsNov. 25, 2003
- 31 - 7Magnetic StormNov. 18, 2003
- 31 - 6Wright Brothers' Flying MachineNov. 11, 2003
- 31 - 5
- 31 - 4The Elegant Universe: String's the Thing (2)Oct. 28, 2003
- 31 - 3The Elegant Universe: Einstein's Dream (1)Oct. 28, 2003
- 31 - 2Who Killed the Red Baron?Oct. 07, 2003
- 31 - 1Infinite SecretsSep. 30, 2003
