World-renowned theoretical physicist Brian Greene spoke to students and Madison residents about the string theory of matter composition Tuesday.

Organized by the Memorial Union Distinguished Lecture Series Committee, Greene came to Madison with expertise on the string theory after writing "The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality," a New York Times bestseller.

Greene spent the evening explaining the development behind the theory and its basic components.

"Not only is he a great physicist, he is a brilliant communicator," University of Wisconsin assistant professor of physics Gary Shiu said in Greene's introduction. "[He has] abilities to explain complex mathematics into clear pictures and metaphors."

Greene said that for thousands of years, scientists have struggled with the question of the composition of space and time.

"We are unable to figure out what happened in the beginning," he said. "We need to come up with an explanation where the laws (of physics) don't break under any circumstance."

He said the string theory is a candidate for such an explanation of matter.

"It seeks to answer the question that we've been asking for two millennia: what is stuff made of?" he asked.

At its most basic, Greene explained that the theory breaks matter down from atomic particles into quarks, which hold tiny vibrating filaments of energy, like string. The differences in the filaments' vibrating patterns determine the differences in atomic particles.

To paint a picture of the size of the strings, Greene said if an atom was blown up to the size of the universe, the string would be the size of a tree.

Greene said scientists developed this theory because it allows mathematics from the theory of relativity and quantum physics to coincide without mistakes.

"When you study the math, it's not some forced union," he explained. "It's an inevitable union."

Greene, a Harvard graduate and Oxford Rhoades scholar, added scientists needed to develop new physical laws after making incorrect mathematical predictions with quantum mechanics.

"Quantum physics completely ruins the certainty of the theory of gravity," he said. "It makes it hard for the two theories to sensibly come together in any realm."

With string theory, Greene said he feels scientists can take a step toward explaining the physical development of the universe. He called this a "symphony of strings" composed of vibrating matter and "energy into existence."

Greene, however, said the cost of accepting this theory is also accepting that space is made up of nine or 10 physical dimensions, not just three.

He also added scientists cannot fully accept the string theory when there is no experimental proof for the existence of strings.

"I think [scientists] are trying to figure out the truth of how the world works," he said. "And no matter how extreme the realm is, you need to push into it."

After the lecture, UW alumnus Jenny Beissinger said she was impressed by Greene's explanation of the theory.

She said she believed the theory as much as she could without any experimental proof.

"I feel like I can walk down the street and say I know something about the string theory," she said.