Why do strings keep vibrating forever in string theory? Why don't they eventually stop vibrating?

Question

Don't the strings lose energy at some point and become lifeless strings like a rubber band?

Answer 1

From my understanding. the only way for a string to stop vibrating is if it loses energy. Strings don't lose energy until they interact with something else, and even then, they can't lose all of their energy. They just change vibrational states.

The reason why a rubber band stops vibrating is because it loses energy, either through friction from the air, or the heating up of the rubber band. Strings have nothing to rub against, so there's no friction, and they're not made of anything smaller, so they can't be heated up.

Disclaimer: Don't take string theory as fact yet. String theory is really only a mathematical construct that solves some of the problems physicists had with particle physics theories and gravity. It hasn't yet made any testable predictions other than those that have been made by the standard particle physics theories.

Answer 2

11 dimensional string theory, (and 26 dimensional M theory), has not produced anything.

It is possible that the extra 7 dimensions of space in string theory, (that are not perceived), are mathematical deception that first appeared with 5 dimensional Kaluza-Klein Theory.

String theory is possibly deception involving adding dimensions of space to the already existing 3 dimensions of space one dimension at a time at 90 degree angles to the previous dimension.

That string theory is possibly invalid is stated at the end of the wikipedia article on string theory.

Answer 3

The mathematics is much more tractable (and not horribly wrong) if one assumes no friction.