a hypothesis for the unification of general relativity and quantum theory

String theory is a hypothesis for the unification of general relativity and quantum theory; but since quantum theory has not yet provided an explanation of the standard model of particle physics that is hard to vary, the hypothesis is regularly questioned.

a theory of gravity

String theory is a theory of gravity, instead of thinking of particles as mathematical points, you think of them as tiny strings.

a theoretical framework of physics in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings

String theory is a theoretical framework of physics in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings.

a broad and varied subject that attempts to address a number of deep questions of fundamental physics

String theory is a broad and varied subject that attempts to address a number of deep questions of fundamental physics.

the most popular quantum theory of gravity

String theory is the most popular quantum theory of gravity.

the only consistent theory of quantum gravity

Researchers are demonstrating that, in certain contexts, string theory is the only consistent theory of quantum gravity.

a very sophisticated mathematical treatment of the basic structure of the universe

String theory is a very sophisticated mathematical treatment of the basic structure of the universe, but it has not yet been confirmed by novel empirical evidence, and there is a good chance that a good chance never will (because a good chance's novel predictions manifest themselves only at such high levels of energy that human experimenters may never be able to replicate them under controlled conditions).

a possible unification of all the forces of nature

String theory is therefore a possible unification of all the forces of nature, and most spectacularly nature is a quantum theory of gravity.

a radical idea attempting to explain the universe in ways no other idea has been able to accomplish

String theory is a radical idea attempting to explain the universe in ways no other idea has been able to accomplish.

21st century physics that fell accidentally into the 20th century

String theory is 21st century physics that fell accidentally into the 20th century.'

one of the proposed methods for producing a theory of everything, a model that describes all known particles and forces and that would supersede the Standard Model of physics, which can explain everything except gravity

String theory is one of the proposed methods for producing a theory of everything, a model that describes all known particles and forces and that would supersede the Standard Model of physics, which can explain everything except gravity.

a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything

String theory is a purported theory of everything that physicists hope will one day explain … everything.

the most developed theory of quantum gravity, as well as

String theory is the most developed theory of quantum gravity, as well as providing deep insights into non-perturbative aspects of quantum field theory via the AdS/CFT correspondence.

a quantum theory of gravity and gravity's partition function

String theory is a quantum theory of gravity and gravity's partition function carries information about the quantum states of the theory and their interactions.