I think you can find explanations about the big bang in many places.
Here is an oversimplified explanation of what the string theory is.
Refer back to the question that the Greeks had about the atom. They asked that if you break something in half and keep breaking it in half, would you eventually reach a point where you can't break it any further or would you be spending an eternity breaking the pieces in half?
We now know that there are other subatomic particles that are even smaller than the electrons and protons.
The string theory says that everything DOES break down to something that is infinitesimally small that looks like a rubber band. Since it looks like a string, they named this theory the string theory.
Basically, the string's vibration determine the property of matter. So, if you have an electron, then its string would vibrate at frequency A, and proton's string would vibrate at frequency B. In other words, the more energy a string matter has, the higher frequency it will vibrate.
Now, the interesting stuff about the theory. In order for the theory to hold with all the data we have about the subatomic particles, the string must be vibrating in a 10 dimensional universe.
Here is an analogy. If you put a guitar string in a 2 dimensional plane, it can only vibrate right and left. If you put it in a 3-D space, it can vibrate right, left, up and down. In other words, there are more frequencies available in a 3-D space than 2-D plane. The more dimension you have, the more frequencies the string can have.
Mathematically, it takes 10 dimensions for the infinitesimal string to vibrate in for all the data to make sense. Thus, scientists theorize that the universe we live in actually have 10 dimensions instead of 4. However, not a single person in this world could imagine what the missing dimensions look like.
By the way, I recommend the book called
Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. This book explores the problems of understanding perception of different dimensions. I think you'll like it.
{Fixed UBB code. There is no UBB code for "underline". - AM}
[This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 04-17-2004]