LHC Gets Android App

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Posted by Soulskill on Friday October 7, 2011 @04:46AM from the not-responsible-for-black-holes-in-your-smartphone dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It appears scientists at the Large Hadron Collider have made an app to visualize proton collisions at the largest of the four experiments, ATLAS. 'For the first time you can now grab live collision events from the underground detectors in Geneva, and beam them direct to your own device. As well as a variety of educational resources, the application allows you to interact with the collision events in full 3D graphics. You can also find out how the different parts of the detector work, learn how to identify different types of collision, and even put your new skills to the test by playing the "Hunt the Higgs" game.' It's free to download from the Android Market."

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I'm confused.... by Dexter+Herbivore · 2011-10-07 04:49 · Score: 2

Is this primarily an attempt to educate, a crowd-sourcing initiative or just eye candy? I'm interested, but I can't fully comprehend the ultimate purpose. (Admittedly, I may be over-simplifying, it may be all of these and more).
1. Re:I'm confused.... by NeutronCowboy · 2011-10-07 04:54 · Score: 1
  
  Does it even matter? It's LHC collisions on your Android. I don't even need to know whether it is just a rendering, not realtime, and whether no one will ever care that I found the Higgs boson on it. It's an immediate download. Full disclosure: this is from the guy who has the Tricorder app front and center on the Home screen.
  
  --
  Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
2. Re:I'm confused.... by Dexter+Herbivore · 2011-10-07 04:56 · Score: 1
  
  I didn't say I don't like it, I'm just curious as to 'why'?
3. Re:I'm confused.... by bberens · 2011-10-07 05:18 · Score: 1
  
  I'm guessing marketing. It may also have other value and be really cool but marketing is the likely reason. Lots of countries are hurting and big expensive projects like the LHC that don't have quick turnaround for usable technology are quick to be axed.
  
  --
  Check out my lame java blog at www.javachopshop.com
4. Re:I'm confused.... by geekoid · 2011-10-07 05:39 · Score: 1
  
  Because scientists like to share data.
  
  --
  The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
5. Re:I'm confused.... by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2011-10-07 05:45 · Score: 1
  
  Is this primarily an attempt to educate, a crowd-sourcing initiative or just eye candy? I'm interested, but I can't fully comprehend the ultimate purpose. (Admittedly, I may be over-simplifying, it may be all of these and more).
  What - you bought an Android phone that doesn't have a Higgs detector built in?
  
  --
  #DeleteChrome
6. Re:I'm confused.... by blair1q · 2011-10-07 06:56 · Score: 1
  
  It's an answer to my dreams.
  Real science in real-time.
  Excuse me, I have to go take care of this.
7. Re:I'm confused.... by Sulphur · 2011-10-07 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  Because scientists like to share data.
  orly?
  --
  Do despots play golf?
8. Re:I'm confused.... by teslafreak · 2011-10-07 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  Well, some of them do anyway.
9. Re:I'm confused.... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-10-07 07:21 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Dear Dexter,
  If you're interested in the motivation, you might like to have a peek at the Oxford science blog: http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/science_blog/111007.html
  We're physicists rather than app developers, so we admit that the game is not quite Angry Birds. But we hope that non-experts might learn something useful from it. Let us know which bits you like - and do give us any suggestions you have for improvement and we'll see if we can add them in a future version.
  Alan Barr
  University of Oxford
10. Re:I'm confused.... by wdsci · 2011-10-07 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  I met one of the people involved in the project a few months ago, and from what he said (IIRC) it sounds like it is mostly about marketing and education. They're trying to increase public awareness of and interest in what the LHC does and why it's important, and they figure that giving people a way to easily interact with the experiment (even if it is kind of a one-way interaction) will help pique their interest. In other words, it's a PR tool.
  Then again, I'm not directly involved, so I could be wrong...
11. Re:I'm confused.... by Sarusa · 2011-10-07 08:56 · Score: 1
  
  It's educational outreach. I played around with everything, didn't see any any real crowdsourcing - there is a game you can play to identify the particles, but they've already been identified so you're just seeing if you can get the right answer.
  The disappointing bit is not being able to automatically stream new events. You have to hit 'get new event'. Obviously a big firehose of data would be bad, but once every 5 seconds or so could be soothing.
12. Re:I'm confused.... by KingBenny · 2011-10-08 04:34 · Score: 1
  
  now if you were to speak about an app that makes use of smartphones downtime to help process gathered data i'd be like woaw, k00! but i guess its about battery life and you could only have it active while the phones recharging ? this sounds like pr more
  
  --
  Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
Faster Than Light by Oswald+McWeany · 2011-10-07 04:53 · Score: 1

Yes, but will data travel from the collider to my cell-phone at speeds faster than light?

--
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
1. Re:Faster Than Light by ByOhTek · 2011-10-07 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  Only in reference frames travelling faster than the speed of light, with respect to our reference frame.
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
2. Re:Faster Than Light by AJH16 · 2011-10-07 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  I thought the whole idea of reference frames was that even if the reference frame was somehow traveling faster than the speed of light, it wouldn't see the signal get there faster than the speed of light?
  
  --
  AJ Henderson
3. Re:Faster Than Light by Lord_Byron · 2011-10-07 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. Then you run into a bunch of Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey-stuff.
4. Re:Faster Than Light by teslafreak · 2011-10-07 07:19 · Score: 1
  
  Furthermore, the license is convoluted enough that this is always the case, no matter which product you are using.
5. Re:Faster Than Light by EETech1 · 2011-10-07 18:22 · Score: 1
  
  If its safe enough for Ferdinand to make it across, you'll be fine little Thomas :)
6. Re:Faster Than Light by ByOhTek · 2011-10-10 03:45 · Score: 1
  
  No, the idea behind reference frames is that they define a context in which the problem is viewed. No more, no less. Typically they are inertial (not accelerating), but that doesn't have to be the case.
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
7. Re:Faster Than Light by AJH16 · 2011-10-11 03:13 · Score: 1
  
  Perhaps I didn't state my problem very well. I am not a quantum physics expert, but I thought the idea was nothing within any reference frame could move faster than the speed of light. If that is the case, then from our reference frame, the data would still appear to get here at the speed of light, due to dilation.
  
  --
  AJ Henderson
8. Re:Faster Than Light by ByOhTek · 2011-10-12 05:56 · Score: 1
  
  Relativity isn't quantum physics, and quantum physics isn't relativity. But relativity is not limited to quantum physics. It affects macroscopic things as well.
  A reference frame is like the stage in a theater, not the props on the stage, THE STAGE. It just gives a point of reference, it clues you where/how to look, no more. (Unless the play is one of the oddball ones where the actors actually go amongst the audience some times).
  Two popular reference frames (which can be treated as inertial, in the right context):
  "Stationary with respect to the surface of the earth" (for using this one, the problem will have to be large enough in scale / short enough in time, such that geological activity provides negligible effect. Also be careful only approximately inertial, depends on problem scope/scale).
  "Floating in space, without acceleration" (this is an imaginary, spot in empty space)
  Some non inertial reference frames:
  "From the perspective of an object falling into a [some gravity source], with no rotational velocity around [some gravity source]"
  "From the perspective of a point on the edge of a 1M radius wheel spinning at 50hz."
  In any of these reference frames, you can have an object traveling any any arbitrary velocity or pattern of motion. That is does or does not make physical sense is irrelevant. In fact, it is VERY important that these can take inputs that don't make physical sense - because you can then tell from irrational results, that the input is not possible. For example: if something is traveling faster than light (whether or not to the point of going arriving before leaving) from the point of view of your reference frame, the length of the object will be an imaginary number.
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
There's a "build tiny black hole" option by vagabond_gr · 2011-10-07 05:08 · Score: 1

Should I try it?
1. Re:There's a "build tiny black hole" option by ByOhTek · 2011-10-07 05:14 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  If you want. Personally, I think it sucks.
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
2. Re:There's a "build tiny black hole" option by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2011-10-07 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  Eh, I already did that and it stuck me in this crazy alternate universe without flying cars or moon condos. I'm afraid to do it again.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
3. Re:There's a "build tiny black hole" option by NeutronCowboy · 2011-10-07 08:03 · Score: 1
  
  YMMV, I guess. Personally, I think it's cool. You can watch live data from the LHC when events are actually occurring, you get little videos explaining how the LHC works, and you get to tag data by stating which event you think occurred. Of course, unless you are a particle physicist who can read LHC data like others can read raw http traffic, it's of little use. Granted, it's ugly as sin, but it's still pretty cool.
  
  --
  Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
4. Re:There's a "build tiny black hole" option by ByOhTek · 2011-10-10 03:43 · Score: 1
  
  How's it feel to be headless? Because I see you were just decapitated by the low flying *wooooosh!*
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
App name=LHSee by Maow · 2011-10-07 05:17 · Score: 1

I cannot find it when I go to the App Market.
I'm using a low-end phone, Huawei 8100.
It's rooted, runs Fresh Zodiak Fruit (cool, thanks to author!) so I thought it should be available.
Also, Slashdot, the link on the main page to this story doesn't seem to work: click: nothing. Click: nothing. Reload /., click: *nothing*. Using Firefox 6. Without JS.
What gives?
1. Re:App name=LHSee by Dexter+Herbivore · 2011-10-07 05:26 · Score: 1
  
  Same for me. Although I'm in Australia and some of our providers (including mine) block large sections of the Android market. A-holes.
2. Re:App name=LHSee by Dexter+Herbivore · 2011-10-07 05:29 · Score: 1
  
  By 'same for me', I mean the app appears unavailable here. Sorry, you made a few statements there and I thought I'd should qualify which one. :)
3. Re:App name=LHSee by Maow · 2011-10-07 05:41 · Score: 1
  
  By 'same for me', I mean the app appears unavailable here. Sorry, you made a few statements there and I thought I'd should qualify which one. :)
  No worries, eh?
  Do you have a similar phone, or a more-capable one?
  I believe it's a feature of the market to hide apps that just won't work on some models, such as barcode readers on models without cameras (or without auto-focus).
  However some after-market ROMs are supposed to defeat that "feature".
4. Re:App name=LHSee by Dexter+Herbivore · 2011-10-07 05:53 · Score: 1
  
  More capable, I believe. Samsung Galaxy. However my provider sucks at Android support. (Aussies, stay away from Optus).
5. Re:App name=LHSee by msevior · 2011-10-07 12:01 · Score: 1
  
  I live oz and just downloaded it to my HTC legend running android 2.2
  I'm on a vodafone plan but my internet connection is through optus cable.
  BTW this is one really fun app! The 3D controls are great :-)
Yes by larpon · 2011-10-07 05:18 · Score: 1

... but not until LHC find stuff that makes it possible
Live Camera Feed? by Quince+alPillan · 2011-10-07 05:24 · Score: 1

Does it have a link to the live camera feed?
Not really sure what it's for by mroberg · 2011-10-07 05:24 · Score: 1

So, I got and installed it. No problems here (Acer Iconia). And not for nothing, I understand that they aren't app makers but... Here's a quote from a subsection of the app called What is ATLAS? "After passing through the tracking detectors the particles will then pass then continue to the next part of the detector." Not trying to be a spelling/grammer nazi but did you guys just convert a hastily made power point into an app and publish it on the market?
I'm not ashamed to admit... by wisebabo · 2011-10-07 05:41 · Score: 1

that I'm an Apple Fanboi and was wondering if this was available or going to be available for iOS.
If not, is it true that someone came up with something that'll let you run Android apps on iOS? Will this it work with this App?
Finally, what do people think that the "4S" in the iPhone 4S stands for "For (4) Steve"? Probably not but I guess it is a nice tribute.
1. Re:I'm not ashamed to admit... by BriggsBU · 2011-10-07 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  I liked the post from one of the developers on the Windows Phone team. "The S in 4S stands for sadface :("
2. Re:I'm not ashamed to admit... by Quiet_Desperation · 2011-10-07 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  There's a Windows Phone???!
Hunt by Quiet_Desperation · 2011-10-07 06:15 · Score: 1

Tried to hunt the Higgs but got eaten by a Wumpus instead.
Fuck, I'm old. :-(
Link to APK file: by LanMan04 · 2011-10-07 06:16 · Score: 1

Just copy to your phone and install the apk.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RACH0473
Enjoy! This apk is ripped from my phone (as the Market let me install it).

--
With the first link, the chain is forged.
No remote control? by maxwell+demon · 2011-10-07 06:57 · Score: 1

Sou you cannot use the app to remote control the LHC? Where is the fun in it, then? :-)

--
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.