Boson Higgs Particle

[richardm6994]

Boson: Higgs particle found!

 

Someone was bound to mention it.....so here goes

 

In my younger years, I spent a great deal of time during my academic life studying particle physics & as such I’ve been following the Higgs particle discovery with massive interest.

 

I bet that in the next 20 years or so, this discovery will prove to be one of the most significant breakthroughs for mankind in modern history.

 

I know a lot of people will be questioning its significance, and also why spend the billions of pounds on this project when the world is in debt??? If you don’t think it’s all worth it, you’re entitled to that opinion, however my opinion is that this is infinitely more use to mankind than banking and stock trading and a fraction of the cost (we all know how much money get “lost” by the banks).

 

Science defines the physical laws that govern our world and universe. It is the job of Engineers like us to put that knowledge to useful purposes. Ask Faraday about electromagnetism, Rutherford why he split the atom or Einstein about Lasers, do you think that any of them had any idea what their discoveries would be used? Of course not, it was left to engineers to find their uses. Do we know what benefits this discovery will bring? of course not…but it will be left to the engineers to find it’s uses.

 

So I hear you ask……What use could this Higgs boson lead to? Who knows? Obviously the party line is that this boson give particles their mass, but putting this theory into a more interesting analogy, the Higgs boson is like a Jedi knight and the Higgs field which comes with the particle is like the Jedi force. This could lead to things like anti gravity and who knows what else!

 

On one last note, it is with great sadness that I realize and expect that the human race will also try and use this newly gained knowledge to develop more ways to destroy each other more effectively. This is why I believe that human technology is advancing far faster than our human brains (or maturity)…..but that is another topic all together

[richardm6994]

How thrilled he must be after spending all them years coming up with the theory to have it prooved!

[megadodo]

Although I would agree that theoretical science can lead to great discoveries I really don't believe that anything useful will come out of this research. Yes, we may have a better understanding of atomic theory but as for anti gravity, you have to be joking? You'll be telling me next that time travel ( and I don't mean by the odd millisecond here or there ) will be possible. I suspect that if anything does come out of this it will be more questions that require huge amounts of money to postulate a theory let alone come of with another answer! Remember that all they have done is possibly prove the existence of a sub atomic particle. To do that they have had to use huge amounts of energy and destroyed an atom or two!

[richardm6994]

I do respect your comments, however I believe that if it wasn't for the kind of people that are continually pushing the boundry of human knowledge and understanding, however big or small the discovery... then we would be stuck in the dark ages....

 

If you talk to any physist they will tell ou that this is not just any old sub atomic particle!! it is a massive significant discovery!

 

On your basis, it could have been said... "yeah we know how to split the atom, but it takes loads of effort so nowt useful will come of it"

 

or

 

"lasers...whats the use? the machine would have to be so big and expensive that it would be impractible"

 

 

I'm an open minded person, and as such I sincerely believe technology over the next 20 years will take a huge leap forward because of this discovery...

 

yes it raises more questions......but that is the nature of discovory.

 

 

Let me give you one last "food for thought"....

 

If I go back in time a 100 years and tell my great grandad that scientics will invent mobile telephones that will fit in your pocket, computers, email, fibre optics etc...(the list is endless).....

 

he would say "your joking", next you'll be telling me we can travel at the speed of sound!

 

It's all relevent, and what may seem stupid and impossible now, may not be in the future. Do we really think we have discovered all that is worth discovering? do we really think that technology isn't going to progress beyond what we understand and accept now?

 

obviously this is all depending on us not blowing everyone up!!!

[Guest MarkB]

I find it all fascinating, the technology we have at our finger tips were all just pipe dreams back in the day, the only question i have is why the hell cant apple put a "back" button on their poor excuse for a smart phone... nuff said

[sj-bradley]

Apple don't want a back button as they're always moving forward !

 

Groans from the rear ...

 

Simon.

[megadodo]

Don't get me wrong, I believe in scientific research and it should continue, I just think it needs to be better targeted towards ideas that will actually have a better likely-hood of success or even just a practical use. Here's a thought, take the money invested in Cern and give it to the cancer research people...........? By the way, the actual experiments at Cern are in no way capable of blowing us up, they may ultimately give us better ways to blow people up but to be honest we are already more capable of that than we really need!

I also think you misunderstand me, the experiments to split the atom actually had "an end game", the scientists involved had an idea that there was energy to be had and the experiments proved it. The guys who discovered the laser had had an idea for its uses before they developed them. These physicists at Cern have absolutely no idea what to do with a "god particle", they have only just managed to prove its existence. Tell me what it may be useful for and then let me see if it worth the massive investment.

My own father was a highly respected research scientist in his own right. His books are now the standard teaching texts used in Universities worldwide. He encouraged my questioning of anything I see or hear (hence this debate I suppose) but even he could see lines of research that give us a theoretical understanding of things but no practical applications. His own research within his field has led to no real world practical applications. To back up your and my belief that research should continue let me tell you a positive outcome. One of his research students that he was mentoring was not enjoying her particular field, he guided her on possible routes and when she had chosen he helped perfect her ideas and research techniques. She subsequently went on to help develop the MRI scanner with a couple of her colleagues.

I think what has been done at Cern is truly a very important event, in theoretical physics, I just happen to believe nothing will come of it. I have been wrong so many times in the past and will be again so please feel free to disagree. When billions of £ of our money is being spent (by Europeans remember, who don't have a good record of spending our money very well) I think there should be an agreed possible "end game".

[richardm6994]

I'm not here to win anyone over.....these are just my thoughts and opinions and I respect what you say.

 

I know the LHC isn't going to blow us up, what I mean is that the things we discover and develope from it will!

 

2 last points and then I'm signing off;

 

a) we've spent more money on mobil ring tones that the money invested in CERN so imagine how much Cancer research would benifit if people donated to that instead of buying a new ring tone! At least CERN is providing something which will benifit everyone forever.

 

b ) People's sceptisim regarding what practical use the Higgs particle will bring is very similar to those echoed when anti-matter was discovered.

nobody knew this at the time of discovery, but Anti-matter now plays a massive role in PET scanners that are used in hospitals...and used to diagnose & help cancer patients.

[Guest mikedbradley]

I'll bet the CIA are already looking at they can use this discovery to make smaller things that make bigger bangs and kill more people.

[Guest snotfart]

i recall that there was some concern that the LHC might create a black hole that could swallow the site and possibly the world.

[megadodo]

More water with that Stewart?

[David S]

All this effort and we already know the answer to life, the universe and everything else ... it's 42!

[sj-bradley]

What do you get when you multiply six by nine.

 

everyone knows this ! That's why the world is so screwed up

 

Simon.

[agent_zed]

well if i am a product of your imagination you really should try harder!

 

 

they actually covered transporter technology on Big Bang Theory but i've thought for years that some kind of transporter would be possible if the entire structure of a human could be recorded and that imformation used to build that person in a different location. The original person would have to be killed to avoid duplicates so i've always thought it would be amusing to have to call up the other end and ask if the person was reconstructed ok and then on confirmation shoot the original person. 'Sorry mr smith you made it to the other end perfectly fine' bang!

 

sure there is a film in there somewhere where the duplicate decides he doesn't want to be shot.

 

As for cern i also like to know there are people tinkering with things where the possible outcomes are nothing through to a black hole and the end of life as we know it.

[agent_zed]

sorry posted twice so removed

Edited July 6, 2012 by agent_zed