LHC Countdown!

pdwyer · Post by **pdwyer** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:16 pm

Doomsday device from hell or what?

Coming to a planet near you this week!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/0 ... lider.html

DarkDragon · Post by **DarkDragon** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:22 pm

We discuss this on the German board for a few months now.

srod · Post by **srod** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:41 pm

That link locks my computer up!

pdwyer · Post by **pdwyer** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:41 pm

which is fair enough since your more likely to get singed over there

Just think, a year from now it will be a memorial to all the great scientists that lost their lives

Actually, more in the Y2K spirit, it's likely to be quite anti climactic, I'll be surprise if something that complex powers up first try, then getting the 27km tunnel to -271 deg, no leaks, no power failures, more iron than two eifel towers and enough cables to go round the planet who knows how many times, all in plugged in correct.

Probably just bluescreen saying "check the cables and then call your system administrator"

This is very funny though http://www.cracked.com/article_16583_5- ... world.html

pdwyer · Post by **pdwyer** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:42 pm

srod wrote:That link locks my computer up!

IE7 doesn't handle it well, try Chrome, it has no trouble

PB · Post by PB » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:45 pm

As Billy said in Predator: "We're all gonna die."

pdwyer · Post by **pdwyer** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:56 pm

The quote I liked was "Whether it goes very well or disasterously wrong, you won't feel a thing!"

Theres some good BBC documentaries on it on youtube too, http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktb7LJRbMb8 if you have a spare 30 mins and have an interest in physics

Parts 2 and 3 link from here too

berryoxide · Post by **berryoxide** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:22 pm

Can someone explain a little boy what the heck that thing is? "Particle accelerator" does not tell me a thing. Also I heard about this probably a month ago on the Debian forums and still don't know what it is supposed to do and why do people assume the thing is going to kill everything and everyone? Is it some kind of "mega blaster" that shoots laser beams like in Mega Man games? (Well, it certainly sounds more logical using the Mega Man theory, so don't laugh at me, we all have our hobbies

)

Beach · Post by **Beach** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:36 pm

The wiki page does a good job explaining it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_hadron_collider

It looks like the LHC will attempt to produce the Higgs bosen particle, which is in the standard physics model but has not been observed yet.

I think it is funny how some are calling it Satan's Stargate...

milan1612 · Post by **milan1612** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:43 pm

berryoxide wrote:Can someone explain a little boy what the heck that thing is? "Particle accelerator" does not tell me a thing. Also I heard about this probably a month ago on the Debian forums and still don't know what it is supposed to do and why do people assume the thing is going to kill everything and everyone? Is it some kind of "mega blaster" that shoots laser beams like in Mega Man games? (Well, it certainly sounds more logical using the Mega Man theory, so don't laugh at me, we all have our hobbies )

Basically, it's a circular tunnel running in 30 metres depth below the CERN
facility in Switzerland. The purpose is to accelerate few atoms up to almost
the speed of light and letting them collide. Due to the immense energy that is
released on collision, the atoms will burst into its subatomic elements.
Those elements are still relatively unknown. Huge detectors will detect them
and - hopyfully - help the scientists gain a better understanding of the smallest
elements of the universe.

The fears of some critics are based on the apprehension the atoms could fuse
together creating a very small black hole which then could destroy the earth

Hope it helps...

srod · Post by **srod** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:10 pm

French cheese is no bad thing; a good substitute for Swiss cheese if Switzerland is sucked into a black hole!

Wait a minute; doesn't this collider pass under parts of France as well? Ah bugger, back to Dutch Edam then! Yuk!

maw · Post by **maw** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:13 pm

Actually, they have already sent particles around the LHC for test purposes. So we already know it works, unless something breaks down ofcourse.

However, tomorrow, September 10th, will be the first particle beam that will be accelerated to near light speed. But they will not collide it then. That will not be done until end of year, beginning of next year. So if you prefer to believe the "It will kill us all"-theory, I'm sorry, tomorrow will not be the end of the earth. We have been accelerating particle beams for many, many years.

However, when they go for the collision then you can begin to chant or whatever you want to do

Me, I'll just smile when they fail to detect the Higgs Boson and the standard model goes down the drain

blueznl · Post by **blueznl** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:21 pm

... However, tomorrow, September 9th, ...

It is TODAY september 9... You're post is dated september 9... oh my, the universe is already screwed up!!!

berryoxide · Post by **berryoxide** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:24 pm

blueznl hi

(referring to your last post where I said "hi" as in hello and you replied in the sense as if it was "high".)

maw · Post by **maw** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:25 pm

blueznl wrote:
... However, tomorrow, September 9th, ...
It is TODAY september 9... You're post is dated september 9... oh my, the universe is already screwed up!!!

I have no idea what you are talking about!!! (Please disregard the last line in my message above)

As for the screwed up universe... DUH