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abstraction > hypothesis > theory > unified theory > string theory > superstring theory > M-Theory

M-Theory comparison table

Subject	is a kind of	has definition
superstring theory	string theory	A proposal for the ultimate laws of nature, a "theory of everything," stemming primarily from discoveries in the mid 1980's. The fundamental entity in this theory is an ultramicroscopic string-like object, with a length of typically 10-33 centimeters and effectively zero thickness. At present our understanding of string theory is very limited. The simplest predictions of superstring theory concern processes at the Planck energy, and so far very little is known about the consequences of string theory at lower energies.
M-Theory	superstring theory	Theory emerging from the second superstring revolution that unites the previous five superstring theories within a single overarching framework. M-theory appears to be a theory involving eleven spacetime dimensions, although many of its detailed properties have yet to be understood.

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