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CERN Scientists Looking for the Force

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the yes-that-force dept.

An anonymous reader writes "National Geographic has a fascinating article on the God Particle, which can help explain the Standard Model and get us closer to explain the Grand Unified Theory. The obligatory Star Wars-angle summary is even better: 'CERN's scientists, the fine people who brought us the W and Z particles, anti-hydrogen atoms and hyperlinked porn web pages, are now hard at work building the Large Hadron Collider to discover something even cooler: the Force. Yes, that Force. Or like physicists call it, the Higgs boson, a particle that carries a field which interacts with every living or inert matter.'"

16 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory by drunken_boxer777 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Use the Large Hadron Collider, Luke."

    1. Re:Obligatory by Stanistani · · Score: 4, Funny

      There are two particles involved, differentiated by spin - light and dark.

      They will inevitably come to the dark side.

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    2. Re:Obligatory by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Proof that light and dark force are like matter and its antimatter: Every time Luke and Darth Vader met, something huge blew up.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous+Cowtard · · Score: 4, Funny

      I wonder how many papers/emails/reports/whatever have been written where a d/r reversal typo has made its way to the final draft.

  2. That's all fine and good... by The+Ancients · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but shouldn't they be focusing on something much more worthwhile?

    Like a working model of a lightsabre. Now that'd be really cool...

    --
    The Mothership
  3. Atheism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't believe in the God Particle. ...you knew that was coming.

  4. Experimental particle physics sounds like fun... by The+Ancients · · Score: 4, Funny

    From a linked article:

    That's the essence of experimental particle physics: You smash stuff together and see what other stuff comes out.

    and you get to do it with really expensive, shiny toys :)

    --
    The Mothership
  5. *A wave of magnetic flux passes* by Jedi+Holocron · · Score: 5, Funny

    These are not the particles you are looking for.

  6. Re:What? by Wandering+Wombat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, to people who think that a Higgs boson is gravity, I guess it is informative. For everyone else, it's sort of like saying "a watermelon is NOT a puppy dog".

    --
    I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
  7. Re:Grand Unified Theory by user317 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they are to find "Grand Unified Theory" I wander if it contains not only "The Function" that explains all interactions in universe but more importantly, why is function evaluated at all and how it is evaluated. Is it possible that any mathematical function can evaluate itself, and if not, is there any other explanation? That would be perhaps more interesting answer then The Function itself. Unfortunately its lazy evaluated, so we'll never know.
    --
    me fail english? thats unpossible
  8. Re:What? by andy314159pi · · Score: 4, Funny

    "a watermelon is NOT a puppy dog".
    So I laid down all those newspapers for nothing!?
  9. Re:Grand Unified Theory by borgboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    omgplzmodfunnykthxbye

    --
    meh.
  10. Re:Here's a question: what if it's not there? by somersault · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think you're a little confused. The large hardon collider won't work properly if you're behind it - you want the large black hole collider, next door.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  11. Re:What? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Not necessarily. Wait 'til you cut your puppy open and you'll be glad you did.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  12. Re:MOD PARENT IGNORANT by StreetStealth · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know we shouldn't rely on /. for physics advice, but last weekend, on the advice of a misguided commenter, I kicked a deuterium atom down the linear accelerator in my backyard the wrong way, and hoo boy! I won't be hearing the last of that one for awhile.

    --
    Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
  13. Re:What? by owlnation · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unfortunately folks are mixing Newtonian and Einsteinian explanations of gravity
    Yep, never cross the streams.