Topic: Unraveling the secrets of the Big Bang (Page 1 of 1) Pages that link to <a href="https://ozoneasylum.com/backlink?for=30510" title="Pages that link to Topic: Unraveling the secrets of the Big Bang (Page 1 of 1)" rel="nofollow" >Topic: Unraveling the secrets of the Big Bang <span class="small">(Page 1 of 1)</span>\

 
Tao
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: The Pool Of Life
Insane since: Nov 2003

posted posted 08-29-2008 16:03

This is really exciting, in eleven days time the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will attempt to recreate the physics that followed at or extremely close to the Big Bang.
Scientists are hoping to discover the theoretical Higgs-Boson which has been nicknamed by over zealous scientific journalists as the "God Partial" This is because it will, if the theory pans out, help to bridge the gap in understanding between the world quantum physics and that of general relativity.

The BBC has been getting itself in a little media hype rush in covering the event, but still has some good reading material on the matter here. I also found a nice little article that helps to understand the subatomic world here. Unfortunately you can't watch the video unless you join up.

We were having a discussion in the Philosilly department recently about the nature of matter Interesting Thoughts to Share I think this experiment will only add to the debate. From what little I understand The Higgs-Boson and the Higgs-Boson Field is postulated to be the reason subatomic particles achieve mass.

Just a side note.
If the nucleus at the center of an atom was the size of a pea, then the relative size of that atom with its electrons spinning around the nucleus would be about a mile in diameter. As an electron has no mass the atom would be actually something like 98% nothing, nothing
I've been thinking a lot recently about this nothingness and I hope to write about it later when I get a little more time online.

Anyway, as it's my birthday I'm going to my local computer supplier to pick out some components for a new build. I'm going dual core but still can't decide whether to go Intel or AMD, but that's a whole nuther story.


Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.


(Edited by Tao on 08-29-2008 16:05)

Arthurio
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: cell 3736
Insane since: Jul 2003

posted posted 08-29-2008 17:05

So is it theoretically possible that this thing will create a stable black hole that will end the world as we know it? I'm thinking that the answer is no.

CPrompt
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: there...no..there.....
Insane since: May 2001

posted posted 08-29-2008 22:12

one of the scientists was just on NPR. A caller asked what kind of measures were being taken "just in case" something went crazy. The scientist just said that there was no reason to think that anything would go wrong.

Can't wait to see what happens with that.

They said that it was going to "possibly" create a black hole. However it is going to simulate the effect that occurs when particles from space hit the earths atmosphere. It will just allow them to monitor it more closely. Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens.

quote:

Tao said:

Anyway, as it's my birthday...



and Happy Birthday

Later,

C:\

(Edited by CPrompt on 08-29-2008 22:16)

argo_navis
Nervous Wreck (II) Inmate

From:
Insane since: Apr 2008

posted posted 08-30-2008 01:50

edited due to unnecessary antagonism

The majority of researchers in CERN are trained by the EPFL or EPFZ, Polytechnical schools of Lausanne
and Zurich.

edited due to off topic

(Edited by argo_navis on 08-30-2008 01:52)

INA, I suggest that you post your referrals and offers in the appropriate forum and without the unnecessary antagonism.

(Edited by WebShaman on 08-30-2008 11:57)

SleepingWolf
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From:
Insane since: Jul 2006

posted posted 08-30-2008 02:38

Happy Birthday Tao - All the Best.
Intel versus AMD? Why not start by deciding on a motherboard..and then take it from there?

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

Tao
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: The Pool Of Life
Insane since: Nov 2003

posted posted 08-30-2008 03:21

Thanks for the birthday greets SleepingWolf and C:\
I've been perusing Higgs-Bozon related material on the net so I thought I'd post up some more links that I found interesting, or as is the case in this one, looks like I'll find interesting.
The Six Million Dollar Experiment
Alice

quote:

SleepingWolf said:

Intel versus AMD? Why not start by deciding on a motherboard..and then take it from there?


I think I've been viewing it from the processor angle because I'm not as clued up on Motherboards as I like to think I am with processors. Any suggestions.

quote:

Arthurio said:

So is it theoretically possible that this thing will create a stable black hole that will end the world as we know it?


Perhaps if it does we wont even be aware of the change, subtle or otherwise as it may alter the timeline as well.


Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Tao
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: The Pool Of Life
Insane since: Nov 2003

posted posted 08-30-2008 03:28

I forgot to add this link too. I think it is going to be a live feed of the event.
2008.09.10 08:00 CEST - LHC First Beam


Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

SleepingWolf
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From:
Insane since: Jul 2006

posted posted 08-30-2008 03:42
quote:

Tao said:
Any suggestions.



Not really.
I think you have to factor in what you'll do with the box. Photoshop versus Gaming versus General Purpose.

Would you consider embedded linux? This feature has been discussed here, you might want to start with Asus and look at their offerings. Then you can decide on AMD or Intel.

I put together a rig from scratch earlier this year and enjoyed the exercise - from research right through to the assembly, learned a helluva a lot, much of it thru troubleshooting. If I was doing this today, I would certainly assess using the embedded linux boards.

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

WebShaman
Lunatic (VI) Mad Scientist

From: The Happy Hunting Grounds...
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 08-30-2008 11:57

I myself am looking forwards to what the tests produce.

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

SleepingWolf
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From:
Insane since: Jul 2006

posted posted 08-30-2008 15:37
quote:

Arthurio said:

So is it theoretically possible that this thing will create a stable black hole that will end the world as we know it? I'm thinking that the answer is no.



It's interesting that man and technology have evolved to this point - a point where we might destroy the planet and its neighborhood in one fell swoop. Sure is more exciting than the current *gradual* process of depleting all non-renewable resources and wiping out each and every species outside our genus.

On the other side of the coin, we are still very much in the dark ages in other scientific realms. Medicine for example - we still employ barbaric techniques to fight cancer and we can't even manage seemingly trivial ailments common colds and backaches. Very sad, perhaps humbling, and it certainly speaks volumes as to where we spend our money, where we apply our resources. Just imagine if the funding that went to fight needless wars had gone towards practical scientific research.

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

Lord_Fukutoku
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: San Antonio
Insane since: Jul 2002

posted posted 08-31-2008 20:24
quote:

Tao said:
As an electron has no mass the atom would be actually something like 98% nothing, nothing


Actually electrons do have mass: .511 MeV (roughly 9.10938188 × 10^-31 kilograms, if you like kilos better ).
For comparison, a proton has a mass of 938.272 MeV and a neutron is 939.566 MeV. Both approximately 2000x larger then an electron.
However, an atoms structure is still almost entirely empty space (I think much greater than 99%).

Another crash course is subatomic particles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_particle
http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~dfehling/

http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~dfehling/particle.gif (super-huge image... kinda hard to read, you just have to scroll around the page but it has a good visual representation of the different particles (as per the Standard Model) and their details and the structure of protons, neutrons, etc, but it doesn't include the Higgs)

--

Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.

Lord_Fukutoku
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: San Antonio
Insane since: Jul 2002

posted posted 09-09-2008 21:40

Roughly 12 hours away:

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=lhc-to-switch-on-early-tomorrow-ami-2008-09-09

--

Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.

CPrompt
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: there...no..there.....
Insane since: May 2001

posted posted 09-09-2008 23:01

so at 3:30am my time, Sweeden will begin to be sucked into the void. Cool

Later,

C:\

Arthurio
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: cell 3736
Insane since: Jul 2003

posted posted 09-10-2008 00:53

According to my (somewhat lacking) highschool physics a hydrogen atom is considered to have a diameter of about 100000 times the diameter of it's core (a proton) quick calculation shows that it's about 99,9999999999999995% nothingness if you assume the electron to be static, in reality the electron is flying around everywhere so you wouldn't find a quiet place to sit.

Here's a funny commercial related to big bangs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSnhiQ28Ro0

(Edited by Arthurio on 09-10-2008 00:53)

mas
Maniac (V) Mad Librarian

From: the space between us
Insane since: Sep 2002

posted posted 09-12-2008 13:35

here's a very, very good computer animation of how the LHC works exactly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQNpucos9wc&fmt=18

The Space Between Us | My Blog: lukas.grumet.at

Lord_Fukutoku
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: San Antonio
Insane since: Jul 2002

posted posted 09-13-2008 03:45

And a background on the internal protection system that keeps the LHC from destroying itself:
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/?pid=1000570

--

Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.

Lord_Fukutoku
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: San Antonio
Insane since: Jul 2002

posted posted 09-13-2008 03:53

In case you were curious:
Has the LHC destroyed the world yet?


And for the rest of you:
http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

--

Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.

(Edited by Lord_Fukutoku on 09-13-2008 03:59)

Petskull
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From: 127 Halcyon Road, Marenia, Atlantis
Insane since: Aug 2000

posted posted 09-13-2008 19:09

I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm still worried. I've seen the following picture:
http://i34.tinypic.com/11l2zdh.jpg

Sometimes the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.

Arthurio
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: cell 3736
Insane since: Jul 2003

posted posted 09-19-2008 08:52

Looks like a 30 ton transformer broke on the first day and they told no one

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jb-KYaSJaMqYK4MtY2C2FmcmOl2QD939CCSG0

Tao
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: The Pool Of Life
Insane since: Nov 2003

posted posted 09-23-2008 02:09
quote:

Lord_Fukutoku said:

Actually electrons do have mass: .511 MeV (roughly 9.10938188 × 10^-31 kilograms, if you like kilos better ).
For comparison, a proton has a mass of 938.272 MeV and a neutron is 939.566 MeV. Both approximately 2000x larger then an electron.
However, an atoms structure is still almost entirely empty space (I think much greater than 99%).



Thanks for the clarification, I thought the zero mass concept I picked up was a little "hicky" but there again, there is so much exotic information out there I can see how it happened.
So if atoms are 99.[loads of 9s]% "space" that seems to infer that we are, in a similar amount "spacey"?
That appeals to me oddly

Here's another aspect I'm enquiring after. I seem to recall that "thought" is an electro-chemical phenomenon, or is it a biochemical reaction? Perhaps it is actually a combination al all of the above.
An electrical signal in the cell causes various synapses to give off chemical signals, which are then in turn chemically received by another synapse, which then relays the signal in an electrical form.
I realise that that description may be rather crude but I think it covers all the bases.


Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Tao
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: The Pool Of Life
Insane since: Nov 2003

posted posted 09-23-2008 02:10

Great links everyone by the way, I've spent a while perusing them.

WebShaman
Lunatic (VI) Mad Scientist

From: The Happy Hunting Grounds...
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 09-23-2008 09:58

Thought itself is still being researched scientifically, because we do not completely understand the process. It is a bio-chemical-electrical process (nerves connect or dis-connect) to each other according to the chemicals that they are influenced by.

One can actually measure this flow, and there has been lots of modern research and break-throughs into this process.

Still a long way to go, however, to fully understanding thought.

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

Arthurio
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: cell 3736
Insane since: Jul 2003

posted posted 09-23-2008 10:26

Gotta love howstuffworks.com ... http://www.howstuffworks.com/brain.htm I'd say we do actually understand quite a lot about thought and the brain. Not everything of course but a lot. Things we don't yet understand that well are how to interface the brain and how to analyze the data that we have.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface.htm
http://health.howstuffworks.com/nicotine4.htm
http://health.howstuffworks.com/nerve.htm

WebShaman
Lunatic (VI) Mad Scientist

From: The Happy Hunting Grounds...
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 09-23-2008 16:04

We also do not know exactly at what level Thought (consciousness) actually affects Physics. That it does at the Quantum level is a known, but it is not really known (the exact process) how this occurs, and it is not known if there is a deeper level here (for example, if thoughts or conciousness is directly connected to strings, etc).

I once read a fantastic article that speculated on things like this - not really scientific, but it was fascinating.

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

Arthurio
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: cell 3736
Insane since: Jul 2003

posted posted 09-23-2008 16:34

That's just egoistic mumbo jumbo, hoping or believing that the brain is somehow beyond regular physics.

quote:
We also do not know exactly at what level Thought (consciousness) actually affects Physics.

Untrue, biochemical and electrical 'level', it's a well established, sound theory that has been tested and proven. No need to invent stuff here. 'Consciousness' is just a big word for an incredibly complex system that is based on relatively simple principles.

quote:
That it does at the Quantum level is a known

Untrue as well. It's a minority opinion not a sound, tested, proven etc theory. I can't call myself an expert but as far as I know there is no phenomena in brain that needs to be explained by quantum physics

IMO the idea that because we can think and feel, the system behind this has to be somehow 'special' is just egoistic bs that is the root of all religion and thus evil.

In science, the simplest theory that works is the best.

Sorry, I hope I didn't offend you but I feel very strongly about those things. If you think you're right, show me the evidence.

Lord_Fukutoku
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: San Antonio
Insane since: Jul 2002

posted posted 09-23-2008 19:54

Not trying to get off topic here but I ran across this the other day (gotta love the Stumble button )
Occam's Razor

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread...

--

Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.



Post Reply
 
Your User Name:
Your Password:
Login Options:
 
Your Text:
Loading...
Options:


« BackwardsOnwards »

Show Forum Drop Down Menu