In school we may have learned about the atom having a proton(s) and neutron(s) in the center, called the nucleus, with electron(s) spinning about the nucleus. This is much like our solar system where the Sun is the nucleus and the Planets revolve around it at different distances. There are also smaller particles in and around the atomic nucleus called subatomic particles. These may exist for an extremely small moment in time, and then transmute into another subatomic particle, or other energy form. Examples are quarks, baryons, tachyons, neutrinos, and many others.
One-dimensional strings, which are smaller than any subatomic particle are believed to exist inside atoms. Strings are lines that can be straight, curled and circular. Note well that these strings do not extend beyond their 1st dimension, and using advanced physics mathematics equations to explain all matter seen and unseeen scientists have proven existence of the 4th dimension and upwards to 26 ! Three dimensions explain mass or objects. But now we must step outside our world when we study Einstein's theories of Special Relativity and General Relativity and go to other dimensions , to 12 dimensions, or even more.
The velocity of light in a vacuum c = 3 x 108 meters per second is assumed to be a constant in the Einsteinian equations. Equations for the higher dimensions involve imaginary numbers, and include the folding of space at sub-light and normal light speeds through time itself, known as space-time.
The electrons and the subatomic particles travel at close to c , the speed of light. As we think "smaller" and travel inside the atom we could imagine a dot, or point, containing these invisible imaginary strings. They vibrate, in one sense of the word, to form all the other particles, subatomic particles and co-exist with energies which make up atoms. M-theory sews the five superstring theory threads into one fabric.
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