Sep 10, 2008

What is the point of spending $9 billion?

Is anybody going to change his faith, or lack of, because of this underground test that some say may destroy Planet Earth? If they prove the "God particle" or do not, is it going to make a difference in anybody's life?
If they do prove it, people who want to live "God-less" will find other reasons. If they do not prove it, it proves nothing anyway, as lack of proof does not prove anything.

So what's the point?
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5 comments:

  1. Zach KessinSeptember 10, 2008 3:07 PM

    Don't take the name "God Particle" To literally. ;) Its a nickname, the real name is the "Higgs Boson" and I think understanding the physical universe is of inherant value.

    And the world will not end, the energies that the LHC will reach are still lower than some cosmic rays which hit the earth every day. (known as the "Oh-My-God Particle", no really)

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  2. Rafi G.September 10, 2008 3:11 PM

    whew!

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  3. AkivaSeptember 10, 2008 5:49 PM

    Much of current engineering is based on this time of research from 10 and 20 years ago. Fiber optic lines, the iPod, some functions of the Internet, are engineered out of the basic science that this is.

    Here's some real future engineering that may come out of this research: The ability to create artificial gravity fields (to lighten or to strengthen), the ability to "transmit" power (wireless power), the ability to communicate instantaneously over long distances with no interference.

    Of course, they may also accidentally create black holes that gobble up the planet, create intradimentional tears in the space-time continuum, or accidentally start a new big-bang - destroying/restarting the universe.

    Not to worry, there's a really really really really small chance of those things happening. Really, trust me.

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  4. SnoopyTheGoonSeptember 10, 2008 8:50 PM

    Wanted to pipe in, But Akiva covered this mostly.

    Let's not forget that what sounds as gratuitous satisfaction of our curiosity pays off in myriad ways - from new life saving drugs to super-nifty electronics.

    Of course, some of the by-products are iPods, nuclear missiles and ghetto blasters, but it couldn't be helped.

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  5. SnoopyTheGoonSeptember 10, 2008 8:58 PM

    Oh, and re that unfortunate "God particle" crap - don't take it literally, it doesn't have anything to do with theology.

    Just some underdeveloped sense of humor - happens with some physicists.

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