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07-04-2012, 06:33 AM
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Emutionally Disturbed
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Scientists 99.9% sure they have found the Higgs boson, or "God" particle.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/04...ain/?hpt=hp_t1
July 4th, 2012
04:21 AM ET
Scientists say new particle fits description of Higgs boson
...The theory proposes that a so-called Higgs energy field exists everywhere in the universe. As particles zoom around in this field, they interact with and attract Higgs bosons, which cluster around the particles in varying numbers.
Imagine the universe like a party. Relatively unknown guests at the party can pass quickly through the room unnoticed; more popular guests will attract groups of people (the Higgs bosons) who will then slow their movement through the room....
It's nice to know I'm not fat, just popular. 
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07-04-2012, 06:36 AM
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Emutionally Disturbed
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Here's more; http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012...u-should-know/
Higgs boson: What you should know
The following is a republished excerpt from a story that ran on CNN.com on December 14, 2011.
... Why is the Higgs boson called the "God particle?"
The popular nickname for the elusive particle was created for the title of a book by Nobel Prize winning physicist Leon Lederman - reportedly against his will, as Lederman has said he wanted to call it the "Goddamn Particle" because "nobody could find the thing."
"'God particle' is a nickname I don't really like," says Archer. "It's nothing to do with religion - the only (theoretical) similarity is you're seeing something that's a field that's everywhere, in all spaces."...
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07-04-2012, 10:54 AM
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What does this all mean? Can someone explain this to me in layperson's terms?
Will the world end on December 31, 2012 or not? Does this discovery postpone it? I need to know.
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07-04-2012, 11:28 AM
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hierophant
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Higgs boson and Comic Sans: the perfect fusion (Guardian)
Quote:
I opened Twitter this morning to find two things trending: "Comic Sans", and "Higgs boson" – the former a much-hated font, and the latter something to do with science. As unlikely as it sounds, the two things were linked. Scientists announcing the discovery of this Higgs boson thing had written up their complex findings in the childish font everyone loves to hate.
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more at the link
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07-04-2012, 12:06 PM
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Mouth operational, brain elsewhere...
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I have tried and tried to understand this but it makes no sense to me at all 
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 England's dancing days are done...
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07-04-2012, 12:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wfgodot
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Our tongues get longer?  That photo didn't help. Just sayin. 
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07-04-2012, 12:22 PM
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hierophant
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ~n/t~
Our tongues get longer? That photo didn't help. Just sayin. |
From what I can make of the whole thing, I believe that's substantially correct.
Another Guardian article - still can't understand the thing but at least this is readable (though it may cause one to think, "oh, if I'd only paid attention more in school, I might understand all of this!").
How the Higgs boson explains our universe
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07-04-2012, 12:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wfgodot
From what I can make of the whole thing, I believe that's substantially correct.
Another Guardian article - still can't understand the thing but at least this is readable (though it may cause one to think, "oh, if I'd only paid attention more in school, I might understand all of this!").
How the Higgs boson explains our universe |
From reading the comments, it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who doesn't get it. lol
Thanks for all the links. I got distracted with the other article
What does the way you count on your fingers say about your brain? 
On a serious note is it because I'm a woman and don't get it? Do men understand this science stuff more than women?
I think this discovery means there could be aliens, right? So the empty spaces everywhere are not really empty? If I'm alone in the room, I've got Higgs bosons everywhere.
I think I'm starting to get it.
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07-04-2012, 12:51 PM
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OK...a friend said it has to do with the big bang theory. Not the tv show.
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07-04-2012, 01:40 PM
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In laymans terms the Big Bang theory means at some moment there was only space and mass. There was no time. In order to have time you must have movement. So the Big Bang was when space and mass interacted and mass moved thus was the beginning of time and the beginning of the universe.
I am thinking this particle may be the actor for movement or rather time.
Just my thoughts. I can barely understand this. lol
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07-04-2012, 01:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ~n/t~
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The Higgs boson is simply the particle responsible for giving mass to other particles. We believe that the Big Bang created massless particles. Peter Higgs came up with the idea of a particle (the Higgs boson) that gives those massless particles mass, so that they can form things like galaxies, stars, planets, etc. I think most scientists have accepted the existence of the Higgs boson, but until now we haven't been able to detect it. Theory says that its mass should be around 120-140 GeV (giga electron-volt; the mass of one hydrogen atom is about 1 GeV), so the particle whose discovery was announced today by CERN, at a mass of approximately 125 GeV, is almost certain to be the Higgs boson.
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07-04-2012, 02:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ~n/t~
On a serious note is it because I'm a woman and don't get it? Do men understand this science stuff more than women?
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I don't think so. In my field (astrophysics), the ratio of men to women is quite high, and I know it's similar in particle physics. But I don't think that's because science is more easily understood by men. In my opinion, it has a lot to do with stereotypes and how we're brought up, and also with a bit (or a bit more, in some cases) of gender inequality once one gets a foot in the door of the academia.
Perhaps this page is oversimplified, but I don't think it's very far from the truth:
http://www.genderremixer.com/html5/
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07-04-2012, 02:12 PM
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<----The bravest little guy I've ever met.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiana
The Higgs boson is simply the particle responsible for giving mass to other particles. We believe that the Big Bang created massless particles. Peter Higgs came up with the idea of a particle (the Higgs boson) that gives those massless particles mass, so that they can form things like galaxies, stars, planets, etc. I think most scientists have accepted the existence of the Higgs boson, but until now we haven't been able to detect it. Theory says that its mass should be around 120-140 GeV (giga electron-volt; the mass of one hydrogen atom is about 1 GeV), so the particle whose discovery was announced today by CERN, at a mass of approximately 125 GeV, is almost certain to be the Higgs boson.
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I admit I'm still struggling with this idea, but I think I'm starting to figure it out. The only question I really have is how they managed to stay hidden this long. Is it because they are tiny or are they just composed in such a way that they are essentially invisible?
Yes, I read links, but most made me sort of glaze over after the first few sentences.
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07-04-2012, 02:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiana
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That is the best explanation so far! Thanks for posting it. 
So now of course, I have other questions. lol
1) What do they plan to do with this discovery?
2) Higgs says it's not a religious thing but in a way it is, isn't it? This discovery brings into question the existence of God, won't it? The "no God" theory?
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07-04-2012, 02:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiana
I don't think so. In my field (astrophysics), the ratio of men to women is quite high, and I know it's similar in particle physics. But I don't think that's because science is more easily understood by men. In my opinion, it has a lot to do with stereotypes and how we're brought up, and also with a bit (or a bit more, in some cases) of gender inequality once one gets a foot in the door of the academia.
Perhaps this page is oversimplified, but I don't think it's very far from the truth:
http://www.genderremixer.com/html5/ |
For some reason this didn't work on my work computer but I'll try it at home. Looks interesting. Can't wait to see the results! 
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07-04-2012, 02:48 PM
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...Interroga Omnia...
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kinda goes along with the "all is one" theory...
Quote:
http://theoryofuniverse.com/
u n i v e r s e
the harmony and interaction of every individual entity
which culminates as reality, ultimate understanding and
synergy to the highest power (the entelechy of the universe)
the natural harmony of every entity
and its beliefs, identity and individualism
universe encompasses the beliefs, energy and philosophy
of every object, organism, animal, species, culture, race, etc-
universe can exclude nothing
it is everything&everybody
everything has an effect on everything else
cause everything is interconnected by design
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dum spiro, spero
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07-04-2012, 03:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by not_my_kids
I admit I'm still struggling with this idea, but I think I'm starting to figure it out. The only question I really have is how they managed to stay hidden this long. Is it because they are tiny or are they just composed in such a way that they are essentially invisible?
Yes, I read links, but most made me sort of glaze over after the first few sentences.
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BBM
Well, it's difficult mostly because it's very heavy, it has an uncertain mass (it's hard to find something if you're not sure what to look for), and once produced it decays quickly (in a fraction of a second). It's not something one just sees it's there. There's more about the detection method here:
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/pr...Q_July2012.pdf
In fact, exactly because it is so hard to find, Leon Lederman, who used to be the head of the Fermilab, wanted to call it the goddamn particle:
http://mrhoyestokwebsite.com/AOKs/Na...gs%20Boson.pdf
With the LHC, which started operating properly only in 2009, you can crush particles into each other at huge energies, and you need such extreme energies to produce particles as heavy as the Higgs boson. On top of that, you need years to gather enough data for being able to claim a detection (or non-detection, that is/was a possibility too), and there's a massive amount of data to go through.
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07-04-2012, 03:42 PM
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So, the lighter the particles you use, the lighter the particles you make. I get that you can only make particles that are a lesser mass than the two you smashed together ( think).
I can see how little tiny little things that technically only truly exist in the split second they are created, die out quickly and do not leave much behind could be extremely hard to detect.
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07-04-2012, 03:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ~n/t~
That is the best explanation so far! Thanks for posting it.
So now of course, I have other questions. lol
1) What do they plan to do with this discovery? |
Well, for the moment, the 2012 results are preliminary. They need to check their results and see if the new particle is really the Higgs boson, or just some other yet unknown boson. Then, if this is the elusive Higgs, they need to figure out its properties, and that will help us understand some fundamental properties of the universe. There's more on that here:
http://www.livescience.com/21381-hig...lications.html
More practically though, it won't change the life of most people. My dad always asks me how my research is useful for someone like him (dad is an economist). It probably isn't useful for most people to know what happens when two galaxies collide, for example; it's mostly about me wanting to figure out how things work. I think it's the same with the Higgs boson discovery, and the implications it has for science.
Quote:
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2) Higgs says it's not a religious thing but in a way it is, isn't it? This discovery brings into question the existence of God, won't it? The "no God" theory?
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I'm not sure... I'm not religious, but I think there are many scientific theories that can be seen by some as challenging the existence of God, while others can see the same theories as proof of God's existence.
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07-04-2012, 04:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgiana
The Higgs boson is simply the particle responsible for giving mass to other particles. We believe that the Big Bang created massless particles. Peter Higgs came up with the idea of a particle (the Higgs boson) that gives those massless particles mass, so that they can form things like galaxies, stars, planets, etc. I think most scientists have accepted the existence of the Higgs boson, but until now we haven't been able to detect it. Theory says that its mass should be around 120-140 GeV (giga electron-volt; the mass of one hydrogen atom is about 1 GeV), so the particle whose discovery was announced today by CERN, at a mass of approximately 125 GeV, is almost certain to be the Higgs boson.
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This is the post where I realize just how confused I am. So the Higgs bosun is theorized to give particles mass; I think this makes most of us assume it is somehow "inside" the atom. Yet it weighs 125 times the smallest atom, yes?
So it isn't part of an atom like a brick is part of a house. Is there a simple answer (I don't really mean "simple"; I mean one you can explain to me without taking up too much of your time) to "where" it is and how it interacts with other particles?
I know, I know: "pull a ping-pong ball through a vat of treacle." Is "treacle" what we Yanks call "molasses"?
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07-04-2012, 04:57 PM
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hierophant
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Higgs boson and "intelligent design": yes? no? perhaps? Please answer in short words which would fit on 3" x 5" card. K thx bai.
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07-04-2012, 05:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wfgodot
Higgs boson and "intelligent design": yes? no? perhaps? Please answer in short words which would fit on 3" x 5" card. K thx bai.
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No.
Intelligent Design and the Higgs Boson particle have no relevance to each other, and evolution is a fact.
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07-04-2012, 05:03 PM
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hierophant
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cappuccino
No.
Intelligent Design and the Higgs Boson particle have no relevance to each other, and evolution is a fact. |
But intelligent design does not preclude evolution. Yes? No? Knees up, Mother Brown?
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