Science in Seconds - The Collider

Science in Seconds Know Everything RUMOURS - The Collider Rheanna Sand: The most fundamental questions about the universe could be answered by the Large Hadron Collider. But if you listen to fear-mongering reports, you might think we're all going to get sucked into a black hole any second now, when really the Collider is not out to get you. It does exactly what it says it does: it causes hadrons, just a fancy word for protons and neutrons, to collide in a tunnel deep underground. Not only is this an amazing technological feat, it's one of the only ways a theoretical physicist can get a date these days. So why are people so frightened? Well, with a circumference of 26 kilometers, the energy coming from these collisions is strong enough that some believe tiny micro-black holes could form. Sounds kind of scary, until you consider the fact that the earth is constantly being bombarded by cosmic rays that also have enough energy to cause these black holes. And the last time I checked, the earth hadn't been swallowed into the abyss. The other rumor floating around is that so-called strangelets could form, which could cause all the normal matter around it to become strange matter, which would, again, destroy the entire earth. But before you get your particles all in a twist, know that two safety commissions looked at both of these scenarios and concluded that there's absolutely no reason for concern. American and European physicists all agree on this point: the Collider is safe. So let's give the theoretical physicists a break on this one. And besides, even if we were to get sucked into a black hole, it would happen so fast we wouldn't even Courtesy of Science in Seconds – All rights reserved Only for educational/non-profit purposes. (Translators are invited to put their name here)