Here’s a telemarketing pitch: do you not understand math, do you want to understand string theory and do you want to feel smart. Find all the answers in the bestseller “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene.
The Elegant Universe (credit to Amazon for image)
No, seriously, it’s a really good book which is why I’m going to review it - even if I’m 20 years late - right now. To put it in a really simple way Brian Greene manages to explain some of the most profound discoveries in recent times as though he were teaching multiplication tables or something like that.
To give an overview, string theory is this possible theory of everything that physicists have been working on for almost half a century now. It says that the universe instead of being made of point particles is actually made of little string vibrating to produce everything we know.
Brian Greene outlines the important points of string theory, outlining all the important points while omitting any complicated calculations in simple terminology. He helps people understand and visualize (kind of) what can be the next revolution in physics using nothing but down to Earth examples.
He’s even kind enough to dedicate the first few chapters to quantum mechanics and special and general relativity to show why we even need something new and why the existing frameworks that have been experimentally verified won’t do.
To conclude, this book deftly spreads the enthusiasm raging around string theory in layman terms. Something which I as a high schooler really appreciate.
About Brian Greene: Brian Greene is a mathematician and theoretical physicist working at Columbia University. He's known around the world for the groundbreaking discoveries and is very well respected.
Amazon Link Book (not affiliate, I'm not popular enough): https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/039333810X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KCJEUIZ1E51G&dchild=1&keywords=the+elegant+universe&qid=1620488344&sprefix=the+elegant+%2Caps%2C362&sr=8-1