Science

String Theory Video Finalists!

Discover Magazine has posted the eight finalists in their contest to see who can describe string theory the best in two minutes or less. The videos represent a pretty wide spectrum of ages and talents, and they’re a lot of fun to watch. The videos done by younger kids actually made me laugh out loud — they’re goofy and earnest, and I bet they’re all super excited to have made the final cut.

I don’t want to influence your vote, but I think my favorite is the rubber ducky entry by Sandy Chase. I’m watching these at 6 in the morning, and my sleepy lump of a brain managed to follow that one the best. But decide for yourself! Click here to watch and vote.

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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4 Comments

  1. Just a side note: Before Discover magazine posted the finalists, a few contestants chose to upload their videos to the Brightcove.com website.

    There are a few intriguing entries, most notably the one titled 'String Theory Contest Entry' (not terribly dramatic, but with a nice Pink Floyd feel!) which is probably a bit too detailed for the general public, but implies heterotic strings based on the dimensionless fine structure constant. Maybe Peter Woit better take a look-see!

    If you head to Brightcove and type 'string theory' into the search bar, you'll find it pretty fast. :-)

  2. I'm a little surprised you didn't chose the Watson family as your fav. ;) I did love that little girl's pi shirt!

  3. Thanks for reminding us about this. I agree with you that String Ducky is one of the best as she clearly displays her explanation, however I wish she had squeezed in what Einstein's Unfinished Sumphony did which is to relate to specific things we muse about: worm holes, black holes, parallel universes, etc. Therefore I voted for the Einstein one since I liked the graphics and professionalism of the video. But I'd say String Ducky is #2 in my book. I might override my vote though. (Not that it matters!)

    I also liked the graphics of Mass Through Strings and Vibrating Strands and String Theory for Dummies wasn't bad, though the "We love Brian Greene" at the end made it too corny. :-) The Next Revolution was a nice little video on dimensions. I watched them several times…I feel strung out now.

  4. I changed my mind. String Ducky's explanation is the most succinct from a layman's point of view. Now, of course I wonder what a physicist thinks!

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