Thread: May 2008 (LHC) Particle Accelerator - Miracle or Catastrophe?

I think they just need to explain what they're doing better so people don't have to make their own assumptions as to what's going on. All debates over whether or not they should run the experiment would be easy to decide if everyone knew exactly what they're trying to do and what the risks are.

I haven't looked into it, so they might have that info somewhere, I just haven't heard it yet.

Originally Posted by Schmaven

I think they just need to explain what they're doing better so people don't have to make their own assumptions as to what's going on. All debates over whether or not they should run the experiment would be easy to decide if everyone knew exactly what they're trying to do and what the risks are.

See, you're already talking about risks. There are no bloody risks, except maybe in a quench accident, which is basically taking the energy equivalent of a few sticks of TNT and releasing it in an explosion. But that's really all we're talking about. A few sticks of TNT is the sum total of all the energy in the LHC at any given time. The colliding particles have even less, at about the kinetic energy of a baseball.

Ah, but then you hear about these 'micro-singularities' and 'strangelets' and so on. But let's think critically for a moment, if possible. How the fuck do you know about strangelets in the first place? Oh yeah, because they were predicted by particle physicists. How do you know about singularities? Did you discover them in your personal studies of daytime TV? No. Physicists discovered them. Now let me ask you this: who are the ones telling you these things are going to end the world? Not particle physicists, or at least not active, working (published) physicists.

So, to briefly summarize, the guys that actually know what the fuck they're talking about and actually discovered the goddamn things are telling you there's no danger, and the guys that know dick all about physics are telling you you're gonna die in a few days. And you're listening to the guys that know dick all?

I bet anybody here ANY quantity of money that the world will not end tomorrow.

Large Hadron Rap

Originally Posted by drewmandan

So, to briefly summarize, the guys that actually know what the fuck they're talking about and actually discovered the goddamn things are telling you there's no danger, and the guys that know dick all about physics are telling you you're gonna die in a few days. And you're listening to the guys that know dick all?

No one can say with 100% certainty what will happen, that is why they're doing the test. The field of science is too big for one person to know everything there is to know, so different people know different amounts of stuff in each field. I don't really know how much either of the two groups know, but someone with a degree mentioned there may be some risks. I don't think you can just ignore him because someone else (who is on the project and wants to do the experiment) told you there wouldn't be risks. I am willing to bet that unemployed, unpublished physicists (of any specialization) know more about this subject than I do.

If someone with a solid understanding of physics has a concern, I think the concern at least needs to be looked at and an explanation given as to why that concern does not apply. Just saying, "well, we're smarter than you, and you're wrong." doesn't cut it in my book. I don't know if it's already been addressed or not, (I hope it has been), and I haven't heard the particle physicists' rebuttal as to why it will be safe, so I don't really have enough info to make a decision one way or another. But I'd rather error on the side of caution until things are worked out.

I don't think anything catastrophic will happen, but the smart course of action would be to account for shit like that, and double check just in case.

so you guys ready to die tomorrow?

Originally Posted by ranma187

so you guys ready to die tomorrow?

I was born ready, literally.

Scientists have switched on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the device they hope will unravel some of the remaining mysteries of the universe.

At 9.30 am local time (8.30 am British Summer Time), 300 feet below the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, the most powerful particle accelerator ever built became fully operational.

The switch-on saw the first stream of subatomic particles - known as Hadrons - circulating in the tunnel. The first collisions are expected in around 30 days.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/mai...scicern210.xml

W00t! It's on! But another 30 days...bummer. In addition to that, the real action won't start for a few more years. =/