Poll: Large Hadron Collider

[oppp7]

I know what it is, and I heard about it colliding particles last week or so(from Wikipedia).
I don't really care too much, because right now the size of the machine makes it unlikely to have a practical purpose.

Also, who cares about what happened at the Big Bang? That's similar to paleontology, AKA the useless biology subject.

 

[nick n stuff]

the black hole machine

 

[Wilbot666]

More like Large Money Sink Collider.

Seriously, if they don't find the Higg's Boson like they intended from the start, then all they have is a giant particle accelerator.

It'll be extremely interesting if they do manage to observe a Higg's Boson first hand though. Think about it, to actually observe the action of a theoretical "molecule" or energy construct that is supposed to demonstrate on an atomic level how energy can potentially become matter. Amazing stuff really, if I have the little I've read right.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

I know what it is. It's a giant cannon that shoots atoms at each other so we can watch the explosions.

 

[Wilbot666]

Also, who cares about what happened at the Big Bang? That's similar to paleontology, AKA the useless biology subject.

Not really. By getting a clear snapshot of the "Big Bang" scientists hope to better understand the energies which must no-doubt run rampant in such an act of tumultuous "creation". It could teach our species fascinating things (from a physics point of view anyhow) about the way matter is formed, the way it bonds together and breaks apart, and also the forces that can both govern and change it.

Ever watched Star Trek and wished you had one of those damn replicator gizmos for when the beer runs out? Well this type of research is the most likely to someday lead to the possibility of that sort of technology.
And yes I realise that all this stuff (including the so-far theoretical Higg's-Boson molecule) is merely speculation at this point, but there's no harm in dreaming.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

It works in pretty much the same way as the Large Hamster Collider, only it's less cool and can be undermined by bread.

 

[d3structor]

snip

all right here's a question: when a star collapses into a black hole does it's gravitational field change at all, and if it doesn't what happens to anything that gets sucked up by it?

 

[danielsharpe1634]

whelp, no black hole yet. fingers crossed that it doesn't hit that 1 in 50,000,000

 

[Dommyboy]

I know some aspects as to what it's about, but what exactly are they trying to discover by using it this time?

 

[Joe Deadman]

I do, but I personally don't care, it's just another one of those things, and it wouldn't be being done if we were likely at all to die from it.

And well, if it opens up a tear in time and space, letting through extra terrestrials, we have the perfect scientist there already.

Spoiler

Edit: Damn, ninja'd!

Why he's already at work!

Spoiler

OT: Yeah its that thing that shoots particles at each other and could potentialy be used as one awesome cannon.

 

[MurderousToaster]

It's been on the news too many times for me not to know.

There were all those morons screaming "THE WORLD IS GOING TO EEEEEEENNNNNNNNNDDDDDD BECAUSE THE SWISS MADE A BLACK HOLE DOOMSDAY DEVICE!"

 

[Mr_spamamam]

Large Hadron Collider? The Thing in Switzerland right? Used to try and recreate the conditions of the big bang. They thought it would create black holes and destroy the world.

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

I think I heard about it somewhere...
Well, my first guess was a particle accelerator. Turned out to be true.
...Did I just best a college physics class?

 

[Aptspire]

Well, I did hear about it, but I also heard about the fact that there is more chance of a portal opening to the Combine's galaxy than creating a black hole...

 

[Overlord59]

I was writing my research paper on the Large Hadron collider for my English composition class and no one knew what it was. My physics and calculus classes didn't fare much better I thought this was pretty big news.

Do I understand what the large Hadron Collider is? After a fashion. I know they're smashing particles together real fast, and they're hoping to discover really tiny particles after they go boom.

I think I'm on par with Simple English Wikipedia, here. I've heard of the LHC, I know they're doing science, and I know there are bosons involved.

Is this above the understanding of your peers?

they're hoping to discover something.. but really, the LHC just gives them the ability to know exactly where a particle is and also know it's velocity, so that they can study what happens when it hits things.

-Snip-

The rest of your statement was true but this bit is impossible. You cannot know the position of a particle and it's speed (or more accurately momentum) even using the LHC. This phenomenon is called Heisenburg's Uncertainty Principle. It's not much fun I have to say. Ahh the joys of studying physics at university.

EDIT: Whoops sorry didn't see someone had already stated this.

 

[Overlord59]

More like Large Money Sink Collider.

Seriously, if they don't find the Higg's Boson like they intended from the start, then all they have is a giant particle accelerator.

It'll be extremely interesting if they do manage to observe a Higg's Boson first hand though. Think about it, to actually observe the action of a theoretical "molecule" or energy construct that is supposed to demonstrate on an atomic level how energy can potentially become matter. Amazing stuff really, if I have the little I've read right.

It'll be extremely interesting if they can't find it too. It shows there is something wrong with the way we think about the universe and could lead to as many breakthroughs as if it were discovered.

Large Hadron Collider? The Thing in Switzerland right? Used to try and recreate the conditions of the big bang. They thought it would create black holes and destroy the world.

The irony with this is that higher energy collisions occur in the atmosphere all the time. So even if the LHC could create a black hole it would already have happened many many times already and had no discernible effect on us. Shame we can't use these natural collisions for scientific research but it's just not possible to predict them.

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[Zweiblumen]

The big particle thingamabob in Switzerland or wherever it was? I think?

I don't remember seeing or hearing the term "Large Hadron Collider" before, but reading through a few of the comments I can say I've heard of it, know where it is, that it was supposed to cause an apocalypse (yay for doomsayers), and lots more.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

Huge circular machine underneath Geneva, Switzerland, designed to smash subatomic particles together at higher energies than any other particle accelerator on the planet.

I wrote an essay earlier this year on some of the things it could discover as part of my physics degree, so to say I could go on doesn't begin to cover it. However I think a 2000+ word post, with references, wouldn't go down all that well...

 

[Sakurazaki1023]

Just because I am curious how much the escapist knows of the LHC here is a question.

What do the scientists at CERN hope to find other than the higgs boson?

Any other information is good to post as well, since I just write a 6 page essay on this I know a bit but I always want to know more.

The whole theory is that by using the LHC to test high speed collisions of subatomic particles they will be able to detect the numerous other theoretical particles. Higgs Boson, Quarks, and many others are just the tip of the iceberg...

It's also one of the few tools that can be used to detect unknown particles that only form in very high energy situations (like the Big Bang).