large hadron collider

[heavycola]

They are switching on the LHC in geneva on Wednesday, at which point a black hole will be created that will swallow us all up. Either that or all the matter in the solar system will be turned into grey goo. Or, our understanding of the universe will takea huge leap forwards (and by 'our', i mean 'the four people who actually understand what a higgs boson is').

So: are you partying like it's 1999? Waiting sheepishly for oblivion to overtake us? Or smiling serenely in the knowledge that Revelation has nothing to say about subterranean tunnels in Switzerland?

[pimpdave]

Threat for World Destruction Invalid!

It is not 2012 yet.

[heavycola]

Threat for World Destruction Invalid!

It is not 2012 yet.

What if its awesome power speeds up time?

[jiminski]

They are switching on the LHC in geneva on Wednesday, at which point a black hole will be created that will swallow us all up. Either that or all the matter in the solar system will be turned into grey goo. Or, our understanding of the universe will takea huge leap forwards (and by 'our', i mean 'the four people who actually understand what a higgs boson is').

So: are you partying like it's 1999? Waiting sheepishly for oblivion to overtake us? Or smiling serenely in the knowledge that Revelation has nothing to say about subterranean tunnels in Switzerland?

I'd be very surprised if they found higgs boson, they will certainly find things which they will not be able to explain, for which they will philosophise as to their implication. But far from our teetering on the precipice of 'absolute knowledge of everything' I think we are only a fraction further forward than the Greeks were when they coined their metaphorical term: 'atom'

We may find 'other dimensions' unlocked by this extraordinary undertaking but i do not think they are what they think they are. How can they be? If God exists why would we be able to comprehend his language?
I think that the multi-dimensional nature of 'creation' and space/time, matter , even the 'fundamental laws of physics' are merely buzz-words and transitory. all will be disproved countless times and be proved to only be the symbolic nomenclature of our limited understanding. That will never catch up with the reality, as the deeper we delve the more incomprehensible it will become.

will we all die on Wednesday .. i doubt it .. but they really have no idea what will in fact happen.. perhaps it will create a worm-hole or perhaps it will be the first in a chain reaction towards the 'Big Crunch' hah! maybe we are destined to sit in a 'Big bang : big Crunch' cycle for perpetuity! Perhaps we are our own creator and our own destroyer! Who Every 13 or so billion years, creates and recreates the whole cycle in an LHC in Geneva!

[frankiebee]

Still believing in tales like a LHC ?

We live, because Chuck Norris let us live, we'll die if Chuck Norris want us to die, this topic is really pointless.

[jiminski]

Still believing in tales like a LHC ?

We live, because Chuck Norris let us live, we'll die if Chuck Norris want us to die, this topic is really pointless.

Chuck Norris is baron of acting ability and my Gran could floor him with a spinning axe kick!

I am glad that is out of the way..
Any thoughts about the actual topic?

[jonesthecurl]

Is it just a coincidence that Heavy Cola and Hadron Collider have the same initials? Has anyone seen them both in the same room at the same time?

[jiminski]

Is it just a coincidence that Heavy Cola and Hadron Collider have the same initials? Has anyone seen them both in the same room at the same time?

hmm i did hear a rumour that his Johnson is 27 kilometres long!

[Pedronicus]

If this LHC experiment works perfectly and gives the scientists involved loads of new data...can someone (in plain easy to understand english) please explain what this massively expensive bit of kit is going to tell us, and how is the imformation is going to benefit humankind.

All I know is that there a very slim chance that it could create a very small black hole and in 4 years time rip the earth apart.
To risk the chance of making a black hole, there must be a really good point to this experiment.
The last thing this black hole would consume would be Americas national Debt because It's only slightly smaller than Saturn

[The1exile]

If this LHC experiment works perfectly and gives the scientists involved loads of new data...can someone (in plain easy to understand english) please explain what this massively expensive bit of kit is going to tell us, and how is the imformation is going to benefit humankind.

No.

Seriously, I've been to most of the main UK universities where all the physicists are talking about nothing else, and the only reason they can give is that it's something that needs to be proved or disproved (and as a direct quote "You can't just get this far and then give up"). The only way you can justify it is if you see the advancement to scientific knowledge (though whatever is created, black holes and otherwise, and greater understanding of the atomic model) as benefiting humankind.

I should also reiterate that little though it may mean on this particular website where we get shit luck all day the odds of creating a black hole are unimaginably minuscule.

[koop]

the odds of it destroying the world are 50,000,000 to 1 apparently. therefor, if we place £1 on it destroying the world, and it does, we'll be loaded! i for one am betting a tenner it destroys us. i have a feeling.

[jiminski]

If this LHC experiment works perfectly and gives the scientists involved loads of new data...can someone (in plain easy to understand english) please explain what this massively expensive bit of kit is going to tell us, and how is the imformation is going to benefit humankind.

All I know is that there a very slim chance that it could create a very small black hole and in 4 years time rip the earth apart.
To risk the chance of making a black hole, there must be a really good point to this experiment.
The last thing this black hole would consume would be Americas national Debt because It's only slightly smaller than Saturn

well, the most fundamental benefit will purely be about understanding the nature of the Universe; supposedly creating the conditions upon a particle which will be evocative of the moment 10 billionths of a second after the Big Bang. at this point they surmise the Higgins Boson will be present; theoretically this field imbued all matter with mass and then ceased to exist due to its powerful instability. (I am going from memory here so i am sure there is some shakiness) this theoretical entity fills the gaps in quantum science but also marries it elegantly with the general theory of relativity (these two basic laws being incompatible due to the infinite effects of gravity at the subatomic level.)

As to the more practical implications .. i would imagine that there could be far reaching implications regarding future energy sources .. who knows and i am only surmising but perhaps if we understand the machinery of the most basic building blocks of our universe, we could tap into the fabric of all matter. If we could do that without having to destroy it/fundamentally alter it- as with Nuclear energy and in a more simplistic way by burning it - we would be getting somewhere.

[Pedronicus]

Thanks jim.

I don't understand why the use of this experiment hasn't been made more public. I read the BBC site about it being turned on, but no where was the reason behind it all.

When NASA went to Mars, they told us they were looking for water / organic life.
LHC haven't told us anything apart from Higgins Boson appearing. Thats really helpful for your average Joe in the street. Maybe the LHC will find Maddie McCann as well, then it would be worthwhile because I'm sick of seeing her parents every other week in a newspaper.

[heavycola]

Is it just a coincidence that Heavy Cola and Hadron Collider have the same initials? Has anyone seen them both in the same room at the same time?

hmm i did hear a rumour that his Johnson is 27 kilometres long!

yes, and circular, and held in place by huge magnets. And it's created a few black holes, ifyaknowwhaddimean.

It's not just the existence or not of the higgs boson, although that is pretty fundamental- Jim as i understand it, the higgs field caused the initial expansion after the BB. Higgs bosons still exist - they imbue matter with mass by exerting a drag effect on its atoms. Could be wrong though.

Anyway there was a science dude on radio 4 the other day saying: 'it will provide answers to questions we haven't even asked yet'. Which is pretty cool. It is already, at 1.8 degrees kelvin, the coldest place in the universe. That's also pretty cool, no pun intended.

Anyway,if it creates a black hole and we al get four years to live, its; going to be the biggest party imaginable. Let the looting and shagging begin!

[jonesthecurl]

Italian mackerel.

[jonesthecurl]

(BTW that was an answer to a question that hadn't been asked yet)

[jiminski]

Is it just a coincidence that Heavy Cola and Hadron Collider have the same initials? Has anyone seen them both in the same room at the same time?

hmm i did hear a rumour that his Johnson is 27 kilometres long!

yes, and circular, and held in place by huge magnets. And it's created a few black holes, ifyaknowwhaddimean.

It's not just the existence or not of the higgs boson, although that is pretty fundamental- Jim as i understand it, the higgs field caused the initial expansion after the BB. Higgs bosons still exist - they imbue matter with mass by exerting a drag effect on its atoms. Could be wrong though.

Anyway there was a science dude on radio 4 the other day saying: 'it will provide answers to questions we haven't even asked yet'. Which is pretty cool. It is already, at 1.8 degrees kelvin, the coldest place in the universe. That's also pretty cool, no pun intended.

Anyway,if it creates a black hole and we al get four years to live, its; going to be the biggest party imaginable. Let the looting and shagging begin!

roll on the Cool party! ... Or rather the 'Party-cool!' (pun intended!)

[heavycola]

(BTW that was an answer to a question that hadn't been asked yet)

You need to email that to them boffins, jones. They got a big magnet tube.

[jonesthecurl]

...it was cool how my comment on my first post started a new page, though. Wish it had been deliberate.

[heavycola]

...it was cool how my comment on my first post started a new page, though. Wish it had been deliberate.

I have a question: is that a cobra or a gasmask?

[Frigidus]

...it was cool how my comment on my first post started a new page, though. Wish it had been deliberate.

I have a question: is that a cobra or a gasmask?

Yup. As has been recently established, jones is Cobra Commander.

[koop]

taking the chatter back on top, just what exactly does Twill use to get his hair so silky smooth? your choices are: dog urine, baby lotion or vaseline

answers on a postcard

[Frigidus]

taking the chatter back on top, just what exactly does Twill use to get his hair so silky smooth? your choices are: dog urine, baby lotion or vaseline

answers on a postcard

Everyone knows that, the blood of the innocent.