Courses:

Course Info

• Course Number / Code:
• 8.251 (Spring 2007) 
• Course Title:
• String Theory for Undergraduates 
• Course Level:
• Undergraduate 
• Offered by :
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  Massachusetts, United States  
• Department:
• Physics 
• Course Instructor(s):
• Prof. Barton Zwiebach
  Prof. Alan Guth 
• Course Introduction:
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  8.251 String Theory for Undergraduates
  
  
  
  

  Spring 2007

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Course Highlights

  
  
  

  
  
  8.251 String Theory for Undergraduates
  
  
  
  

  Spring 2007

  
  
  

  

  A torus is built from a cylinder of circumference 2π and length T by gluing the edges with a twist angle θ. The set of inequivalent tori is represented by the points in the orange region. In all these tori the shortest geodesic has length greater than or equal to 2π. (Image by MIT OCW.)

  
  
  

  Course Description

  
  
  

  This course introduces string theory to undergraduate and is based upon Prof. Zwiebach's textbook entitled A First Course in String Theory. Since string theory is quantum mechanics of a relativistic string, the foundations of the subject can be explained to students exposed to both special relativity and basic quantum mechanics. This course develops the aspects of string theory and makes it accessible to students familiar with basic electromagnetism and statistical mechanics.