1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With 3 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello again, everyone, 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech stuff. My name is Chris Poulette, 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: and I'm an editor at how stuff works dot com. 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: Sitting across from me as usual as senior writer Jonathan 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: Amazing me. I don't. I wouldn't give a franc for 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: that for that. So today we wanted to cover a 9 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: pretty big piece of technology. Actually, yes, we're going to 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: get deep into it, and it's a big piece of 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: technology that looks at teeny tiny stuff. Yeah. Yeah, Well 12 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 1: we've had quite a few people say that they wanted 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,639 Speaker 1: us to talk about this, and we've kind of put 14 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: it off because, well, we wanted to talk about it. 15 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: I know, it's it's strange. It's the large Hadron collider, folks. 16 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: That's what we're gonna talk talk about. And really we 17 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: were going to do a podcast about this about nine 18 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: months ago, but then a bird dropped a bag out 19 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: on my head and it just threw everything off for ages. 20 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: What really frightens me is that I thought about making 21 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 1: that joke and hadn't yet. Yeah, well I was like 22 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: one of us is going to It's just gonna be 23 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: a race, all right. So um, and if you don't 24 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: know the story about the bird and the bread, we 25 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,839 Speaker 1: will all become Yes, we will allude to it in 26 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: in a moment. But let's talk about large hadron collider, 27 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: what it is, what it does and um, and kind 28 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: of get a grip on the whole idea of adam 29 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: smashers and particle accelerators. Yes, this actually is the latest 30 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: if you will enter it in a a a race 31 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: that has gone on, a scientific race that has gone 32 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: on for many many years, a game of one upsmanship, 33 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: um that that started so long ago. But basically, in 34 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: in in scientific terms, we're talking about the race to build, uh, 35 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: the largest particle accelerator. And it has gone back and 36 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: forth between the United States and Europe for many years 37 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: and and basically it seems like, um, the United States 38 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: is sort of seeded uh this to a group of 39 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: scientists or an organization called that calls itself CERN, which 40 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: is which stands for the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Yes, 41 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: and if that doesn't make sense, why because in Europeans 42 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: European US there for and that's why to our to 43 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: our listeners in Europe, I love you guys, and we're 44 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: teasing being silly. But yes. The CERN, of course also 45 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: famous for a few other minor contributions to technology, the 46 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: Worldwide Web, like the world Wide Web, tim berners Lee 47 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: of CERN being the guy who who developed what would 48 00:02:55,560 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: later become the World Wide Web, so built on top 49 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: of the Internet network of networks. So anyway, yes, certain, 50 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: definitely a pioneer in science and technology. They were the 51 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: ones who spearheaded this whole development of the large Hadron Collider, 52 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: which was, you know, such an enormous project. It involved 53 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: more than just certain, It involved the cooperation of various organizations, 54 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: research institutions, countries, um. And you know, it's a it's 55 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: really a testament to science and to exploration. But it's 56 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: kind of an exploration that involves recreating conditions that were 57 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: prevalent immediately following the creation of the universe. But on 58 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: the tiniest scale we can manage right now. Yes, yes, 59 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: well the scientists seemed to think now. And the reason 60 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: I say seemed to is because I have just a 61 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: paltry layman's and reportation of these things. Um. They believe 62 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: that there are these these particles that existed UM in 63 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: the creation of the universe that simply aren't there today. 64 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: And it's not because they couldn't be. It's because the 65 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: conditions just aren't right now. So they want to recreate 66 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,719 Speaker 1: the conditions that they believe existed right after that UM 67 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: by accelerating very tiny things to smash together and and 68 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: basically make bits of particles that they think would be 69 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: those those things that they're trying to identify. So basically 70 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: there's a roadmap. They think there's a city there, and 71 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: they want to see if they can make it happen. Right, So, 72 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: so let's this really boils down to the whole Big 73 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: Bang Theory. So our whole universe was in a hot, 74 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: dense state. Really what you went there? Yes? I did 75 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: go there. Hey, some of the characters on the Big 76 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: Bang Theory were some of my early as Twitter followers, 77 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: not the actors, the actual fictional characters of the television 78 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: show Big Bang Theory were following me on Twitter for 79 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: a while, which I thought. I was thrilled. Anyway, Yes, 80 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: according to the Big Bang Theory, which is one of 81 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: the I would say the most prevalent theory of how 82 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 1: our universe was formed. Um. The Big Bang theory states 83 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: that there was a moment when, which did not last 84 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 1: very long relatively speaking compared to the life of the universe. 85 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: There was a moment when energy and matter were one. 86 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: They were not two different things. Energy and matter kind 87 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: of we're coupled together, uh, and then split apart and 88 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: then developed into what we see today, into the matter 89 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: and energy that we are able to observe today, as 90 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: well as stuff that we may not ever be able 91 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: to observe and explosion. Yeah, and so there were these 92 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 1: these fundamental particles that eventually became matter. And by taking 93 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: sub atomic particles and accelerating them to near the speed 94 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: of light the speed of light and making them collide together, 95 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: you can smash them apart so that they become these 96 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: even more basic particles and energies that are what make 97 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 1: up the stuff around us. So it's it's like reducing 98 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: matter that we have today into the proto matter that 99 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: existed immediately following the Big Bang. Um, and there's well, 100 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,359 Speaker 1: we'll get a little bit more into the Big Bang stuff. 101 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: It gets really really complex and complicated. It goes beyond 102 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: the scope of tech stuff, and it gets difficult to 103 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: to explain. I had a friend of mine asked me, well, 104 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: what was there before the Big Bang? And said, that 105 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: question is meaningless? And so why is that question meaningless? 106 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: Is it because time did not exist until the universe 107 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: came into being during the Big Bang. If you, according 108 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: to the theory, as you get closer to the Big Bang, 109 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: you eventually get to a point where time didn't exist. 110 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: So before and after are meaningless because those are concepts 111 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: that depend upon the existence of time. What's really funny 112 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: to me is now, now that you've reached this point 113 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: of the discussion, I feel like philosophy and science have 114 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: become one, and really they have been at that point. 115 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: There's there is a point where science and philosophy are 116 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: one because you cannot or at least philosophy takes over 117 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: because you cannot test or observe. And you know scientific 118 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: theory that the whole scientific method is based upon the 119 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: idea that you make observations and then you project future 120 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: guess is essentially based on those observations, you test and 121 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: you continue to observe, and based upon those results you 122 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: build knowledge. Right, I mean, that's the basic when you 123 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: boil it down. That's the basic scientific method, and you 124 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: want to do it in a controlled way, so that 125 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: way you can determine if in fact what you observe 126 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: is a result of whatever the phenomena is you're observing. 127 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: You know, like whatever whatever state you're looking at now, 128 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: is in fact a result of a previous state, or 129 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: if it was just a something something else. You know, 130 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: you can't say A causes B immediately, you have to 131 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: build that case. Well, that's that's one of the reasons 132 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: why this is so such a weird topic in a way, 133 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: because the particle that they've been looking for most famously 134 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 1: is the Higgs boson, and this is a theoretical particle. Yeah, 135 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: this is the thing according to the theories, you know. 136 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 1: They they're the scientists are going by what we know 137 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: of the universe, and they're they're essentially saying this should 138 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 1: be able to exist, and we want to see if 139 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 1: it actually can exist. That is just such a weird concept. Yeah, 140 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: It's essentially what you do is you look at the 141 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: math and you say, well, based upon our understanding of 142 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: the universe and based upon some mathematical formulas that are 143 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: far more complex than I could ever hope to understand. 144 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: So I want to make that clear. I'm stating this 145 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: from the perspective of someone who is interested in the subject, 146 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: but it is not an expert. But based upon the 147 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: math and based upon our understanding of the universe, we 148 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:46,439 Speaker 1: think that there is a particle that we're calling the 149 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: Higgs Boson particle that would explain why matter has masses, 150 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: because that's a it's a it's a question I would 151 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: never have thought to ask, like, why does why does stuff? 152 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: Why does matter actually have mass? Why do we have 153 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: mass in the universe? That's actually a great question. There 154 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: are a couple of reasons why it's a great question. 155 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: One is that, again, energy and mass at one point, 156 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,079 Speaker 1: or energy and matter at one point, we're coupled together 157 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: and they split apart. So what was it that did that? 158 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 1: Also was messy the alimony. Also there was the element 159 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: of the I shouldn't say element. There was the factor 160 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,959 Speaker 1: of matter and antimatter. Okay, So when you have a matter, 161 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: a particle of matter encounter a particle of antimatter, Uh, 162 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: they annihilate one another, right, I mean antimatter and matter 163 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: cannot coexist? They do all right? Right? Hypothetical person who 164 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: knows what I'm talking about in the room. So yes, 165 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: when matter and antimatter UH encounter one another, they annihilate 166 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 1: each other. So matter and antimatter both were products of 167 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: the Big Banks. So there must have been a little 168 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: more matter than there was antimatter, or else we wouldn't 169 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: have matter, but it would have all been annihilated. There 170 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: there would be there'd be no us, right because any 171 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: matter and UH and matter would have destroyed one another. 172 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,959 Speaker 1: So by that logic, there must have been more matter 173 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: than antimatter. Well why is that? It's a good question. 174 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: The LHC might be able to give us some answers. 175 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: And the reason why the LHC might give us some 176 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: answers is again because by smashing these sub atomic particles 177 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: together at incredible speeds, we can recreate in miniature by 178 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:42,319 Speaker 1: several orders of magnitude, conditions that were around, or what 179 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: we believe were around, shortly after the universe was formed. 180 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: By observing that, we could start to draw conclusions of 181 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 1: what happened immediately after the universe was formed and why 182 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:58,559 Speaker 1: stuff is the way it is. These are huge questions, 183 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: and I mean it blows my mind to think about it. 184 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: For more than like to go beyond the surface level. 185 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: I started getting a bit dizzy. Yeah yeah, well the 186 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 1: uh I was going to get into how they monitor 187 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: and the anti monitor deal with all of this and 188 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: the green lantern core, but that's that will be a 189 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: discussion best used for another podcast, maybe pop stuff. So 190 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:26,319 Speaker 1: they created this thing fet down. Yeah, that only took 191 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: you know, sixteen years and ten billion dollars to come 192 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: up with. Technically it is one below ground feet as 193 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:37,199 Speaker 1: as Chris was saying, uh, it is Uh. It's got 194 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: a circumference of twenty seven kilometers, which is just under 195 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 1: seventeen miles sixteen point eight miles or so. Uh. The 196 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: entire thing, like if you think of it as a 197 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: giant circle, because that's what the main part of the 198 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: Large Hadron Collider is. It's an enormous circular ring. Um. 199 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,719 Speaker 1: It's got eight sectors, yes, all right. Each of those 200 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 1: sectors has an end cap that could next it to 201 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: the next sector. Okay, that end cap is called an insertion. Now, Uh, 202 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: within this circle protons beams of protons mainly, although other 203 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: atomic particles can also be accelerated through the Large Hadron Collider, 204 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: but primarily it's it's beams of protons reach this speed 205 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 1: of the speed of light. Now you might ask, why 206 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: is it not actually the speed of light? Well, there's 207 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: two reasons. One is that, according to what we know 208 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: of the universe, lights the fastest stuff there is, and 209 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: you cannot equal or exceed the speed of light unless 210 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: you're light like, unless you're a photon, you're not gonna 211 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: do it well. Put it this way, the traffic ticket 212 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: would be enormous. Yeah, so don't do it. Well. The 213 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: other reason is because this this UH the facility is 214 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: so large it actually spans the border between UH France 215 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: and Switzerland, so which is why you made the fan. 216 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 1: It has to stop for customs each time it goes through, 217 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: which delays it a little nice. So anytime it has 218 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,480 Speaker 1: any duty free stuff or you know, it's got to 219 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,520 Speaker 1: declare that it's carrying a certain amount of stuff from 220 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: France to Switzerland, mainly cheese, then it has to slow down. 221 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: That's all a lie, and that that that customs part. 222 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: The rest of we've been saying, besides the green lantern 223 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: and other silly asides, totally true, yes, but it's um 224 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: it's fascinating in a way to think about because um, 225 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: you know, this very big, very expensive machine is necessary 226 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: to smash tiny, tiny, tiny particles into even tinier particles. 227 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: And and again, remember we're looking for lots of different stuff. 228 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: Higgs boson is probably the most famous, you know, and 229 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: and the one that's made the news recently as at 230 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: the time we're recording this, right, right, the recent news 231 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: states that we have discovered a particle that fits very 232 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: closely to what we would expect the higgs boson to be. 233 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: So it's not that we found the higgs boson necessarily, 234 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: but that we found something that's promising along those lines. Yes, 235 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: So again, we cannot say we found the higgs boson 236 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: with certainty. Actually will probably never be able to say 237 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: it with a hundred percent certainty, but we you know, 238 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: what we can say is that the findings we've discovered 239 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: are promising along those lines. It appears to be, but 240 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: there's no way to know for certain, right and we're 241 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: gonna continue Obviously, they're going to continue to do experiments, 242 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: make sure it's repeatable, make sure that the things that 243 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: they have observed are in fact actual observations and not 244 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: some form of error. Uh, this is all part of science, 245 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: you know. Science is all about. You've got to replicate 246 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 1: whatever it is you did to make sure that it 247 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: is in fact a real effect. What did you do? 248 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: I don't know. But beyond the Higgs boson, we're looking 249 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: at other stuff too, like, for instance, our universe is expanding, yes, 250 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: all right, and uh, and it expands at a particular 251 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: rate and that rate is very difficult to explain based 252 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: upon the observable amount of matter in the universe. So 253 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: the way the galaxies we're talking massive massive systems, not 254 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: you know, not solar systems, we're talking entire galaxies, the 255 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: way that they behave seems to contradict our knowledge of 256 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: what the universe, how the universe should behave based upon 257 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: the amount of matter we believe exists within the universe. 258 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: So we have to figure out why is that? Why 259 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: is that the case? And one of the theories proposed, 260 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: and a very popular one since really the ninety nineties, 261 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: is that there's the stuff that we cannot observe, that is, 262 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: it's it's undetectable by humans. Right now, we don't have 263 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: the ability to figure out where and what it is. 264 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: But that scientists, for lack of a better term, call 265 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: it dark matter. So it's the stuff that we cannot detect, 266 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,120 Speaker 1: but that at least in theory, must exist in order 267 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: for the universe to behave the way it behaves despite 268 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:15,400 Speaker 1: the way we understand the universe. And by saying, okay, well, 269 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: what if there's this stuff that we cannot see but 270 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: it does exist and it otherwise behaves like matter, What 271 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: if it's out there, how much of it would it 272 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:27,159 Speaker 1: we need in order to balance out the way galaxies 273 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: do behave and the way we think they should behave 274 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: and uh, And once we kind of created that theory, 275 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: there's also a theory that kind of partners with this 276 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:41,479 Speaker 1: about dark energy, which is, you know, again, an energy 277 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: component that we cannot directly detect. We detect its uh, 278 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: its effects, but not the actual energy itself. This would 279 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: account for the way the universe is expanding and the 280 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,719 Speaker 1: way galaxies move in relation to one another. Um and 281 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: you know, again, this is not a perfect explanation because 282 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,479 Speaker 1: it really just says we don't really know. These are 283 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: sort of placeholders until we can figure out more. Well, again, 284 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 1: because the Large Hadron Collider will recreate conditions similar to 285 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: those shortly after the Big Bang, there's hope that perhaps 286 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: we will find some sort of evidence that supports or 287 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: perhaps contradicts the theory of dark matter and dark energy. 288 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: Beyond that, there's also the wonderful world of string theory, 289 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: which I'll admit to you guys. I mean, like I said, 290 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: I am not an expert. So what I've been talking 291 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 1: about so far is stuff that I have a weak 292 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 1: grasp on, right like I can, I can almost get 293 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: my head around it. But it's still pretty perplexing to me. 294 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: String theory just kicks my brain out my ear and 295 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 1: says you do not belong here, never show your face 296 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 1: here at end. Because string theory is again a completely 297 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: theoretical model that is based primarily upon mathematics that would 298 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: reconcile what we call the standard theory with UH, something 299 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:21,959 Speaker 1: that the standard theory could not explain before. Um. So 300 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: standard theory is kind of our our explanation about how 301 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: the universe works, right um, and it has UH. It 302 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 1: encompasses three of the four fundamental forces we understand about 303 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: the universe. Those those three forces are the weak nuclear force, 304 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: the strong nuclear force, and electromagnetic force. But the fourth 305 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: fundamental force, the one that it does not explain, is gravity. 306 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:55,159 Speaker 1: String theory is one attempt to reconcile everything we know 307 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,199 Speaker 1: about the universe and sort of it's kind of like 308 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 1: the whole unified theory approach you might have you've heard 309 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: of the unified theory, right, Yeah, this idea that there 310 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 1: is there's got to be an explanation that brings together 311 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: all of these elements so that we have a working 312 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: model of why the universe behaves the way it does. Well. 313 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 1: The string theory is kind of an approach to that. 314 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,680 Speaker 1: It is again theoretical, it's all based on mathematics. Uh. 315 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: A lot of the different string theories suggests that there 316 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: are at least eleven dimensions to the universe. Uh. We 317 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: of course cannot directly observe all of these dimensions. We know, 318 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: you know, there's certain spatial dimensions that we are aware of, length, height, depth, 319 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. There's also the dimension of time, 320 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:50,120 Speaker 1: which we perceive as a linear progression. Though again time 321 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:54,400 Speaker 1: is relative. If you move, you know, depending upon the 322 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: speed that you are moving throughout the universe, time is 323 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: going to pass at a different rate between you and 324 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:05,359 Speaker 1: a stationary observer, which is crazy as well. Also, by 325 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: the way, alternative theory of why the universe is expanding 326 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,919 Speaker 1: the way it is at the speed at What it 327 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,240 Speaker 1: is is that it's not accelerating or anything like that. 328 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: It's that time itself is slowing down, but we are 329 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: incapable of perceiving that ourselves. It's just time is slowing 330 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 1: down in the context of the universe as a whole. Again, 331 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: I can't even grasp that. So string theory boils down 332 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,199 Speaker 1: to this idea that everything in the universe, when you 333 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,360 Speaker 1: get really, really, really really down to it, is made 334 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: up of these strings. And the strings can either be open, 335 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: meaning that the ends are free, or they can be closed. 336 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:47,159 Speaker 1: So it's like a it's like a rubber band, a loop, 337 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: and they vibrate at different frequencies, and how they vibrate 338 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,199 Speaker 1: determines what they are. So a string vibrating a certain 339 00:21:56,240 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: way would be an electron or what Really, a collection 340 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: of strings vibrating that way would be an electron versus 341 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 1: a proton or a neutron or whatever. Uh. The problem 342 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: with string theory, Among many other problems, one of the 343 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,359 Speaker 1: big problems with string theory is that you can't make 344 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: an observation to prove or disproved string theory because it's 345 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: it's dealing with something that is so tiny and fundamental 346 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,199 Speaker 1: that there's no way we can detect it, So you 347 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,640 Speaker 1: can't observe it and you can't test it, which has 348 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: led some scientists to say string theory is more of 349 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: a philosophy that it is a science, because if you 350 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: cannot observe or test it, how can you call it science. 351 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:43,360 Speaker 1: It's a mathematical theory that's more in the line of philosophy, 352 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: which you know, I agree that's a fairly valid argument 353 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:49,679 Speaker 1: at this stage. Well, there's some hope that the LHC 354 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:55,359 Speaker 1: could perhaps uncover some evidence that strength that would support 355 00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:01,160 Speaker 1: string theory, mainly supersymmetry, and supersymmetry is a step beyond 356 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: the idea of matter and anti matter. So we do 357 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,120 Speaker 1: know that there is matter and anti matter. So for example, 358 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: the antimatter component or or partner to an electron is 359 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 1: a positron, which is a positively charged sub atomic particle. 360 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 1: So positron and electron are our counters to one another. 361 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:29,760 Speaker 1: They would annihilate each other with extreme prejudice. And then 362 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: supersymmetries are suggests that there are other counter particles besides 363 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: matter and anti matter. They would say that each particle 364 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: would have a superpartner partner and an anti superpartner, which 365 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 1: we would call a supervillain, and that that those that 366 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 1: perhaps the experiments in the LHC might uncover evidence of supersymmetry, 367 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:59,119 Speaker 1: which in turn would be support for string theory. So 368 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: there are lots of different things that the LHC is 369 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,360 Speaker 1: looking for, and how it does it is pretty phenomenal. 370 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: And as we said, you know, it involves accelerating these 371 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,359 Speaker 1: these particles at near the speed of light and using 372 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: an enormous machine to do it, and how that happens 373 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: is insane. Well, the collider itself is really one of 374 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: of three major parts to to what the the entire 375 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: scientific machine if you will, that they're using over there. 376 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: Um the colliders is one the detectors. Therefore huge areas 377 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: where the detectors sit and those you know, are are 378 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: there to identify the results of the collisions. You know, 379 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: there there there are four major ones and two minor 380 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: ones that are kind of piggybacked onto the major ones. 381 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 1: And then there's the grid, which is the computers, grid 382 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,680 Speaker 1: comp grid computers, so a series of network computers that 383 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,960 Speaker 1: handle all that data and crunch the numbers. So when 384 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: you when we get down. Let's get down to the 385 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: physical way that this system works. And you can't just 386 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: flip a switch and have beams of sub atomic particles 387 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: traveling it near the speed of light. It actually takes 388 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:21,359 Speaker 1: quite some time to ramp up that speed so that 389 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: these particles are moving at the right velocity to make 390 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: them collide with one another. UM. Now you remember we've 391 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 1: got the LHC. It's a big ring. So these different 392 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,720 Speaker 1: beams are both traveling in opposite directions, and then we'll 393 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: ultimately converge on one of these detector sites around the ring, 394 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: and at that detector site you will have your collisions. Uh. 395 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: So one beam is traveling counterclockwise and the other one 396 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 1: is traveling anti counter clockwise as uh directions I once 397 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:59,200 Speaker 1: received for a fan said I, I'm surprised you didn't 398 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: say wittersians. Yes, yes, okay, So that would be clockwise 399 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: and whiter stians. One is traveling clockwise, the other ones 400 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: traveling whitter sians. If you wonder what whitter sians is 401 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: read McMath. Uh. The So the it's counterclockwise. So these 402 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:15,159 Speaker 1: two beams are traveling in different directions. But before they 403 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 1: can even do that, they have to be accelerated in 404 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: separate accelerators. Separate in the sense that you know, it 405 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: goes through them first and then gets injected into the LHC. 406 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: They are connected to the LHC, but they are each 407 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: their own thing. So it starts off in the LINNAK 408 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 1: to l I n A C. The number two, which 409 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: is UH. It fires beams of protons generally protons, although 410 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:44,680 Speaker 1: it can be other things as well, into an accelerator 411 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 1: that's called the p S booster. Now, the ps booster 412 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: uses UH, these chambers called radio frequency cavities to actually 413 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:59,240 Speaker 1: push the protons with radio frequencies through a pathway. And 414 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: that pathway is secured by magnets because you know, protons 415 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 1: are positively charged, so by using magnets in the appropriate 416 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 1: kind of magnetic field, you can keep those those positively 417 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:20,920 Speaker 1: charged particles traveling in a very specific pathway. UM. Then 418 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,000 Speaker 1: once the protons reached the right velocity and where right 419 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 1: energy level really, the ps T booster injects them into 420 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: the super proton syncotron, which, to my disappointment, is not 421 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: a decepticon. UH. That's when the sincotron will actually divide 422 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 1: these proton beams into bunches. That's a technical term, and 423 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 1: that really is the term that cern uses. The protons 424 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: get divided into bunches. Those bunches are about around a 425 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 1: hundred billion protons per bunch, and there are about two 426 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: eight hundred and eight bunches per beam. Ye. Now, these 427 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: beams start traveling a on the LHC. It takes about 428 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: twenty minutes for them to uh to hit that speed 429 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 1: of the speed of light, and at top speed, a 430 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 1: proton will make eleven thousand, two d forty five trips 431 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 1: around the entire large hadron collider each second. And and 432 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:26,840 Speaker 1: and what was that distance again, it's a twenty seven kilometers, 433 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,920 Speaker 1: so twenty seven kilometers. Uh it takes there's a twenty 434 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: seven kilometer trip and eleven eleven thousand, two forty five 435 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: kilometer trips every second. That's a lot of frequent flyer 436 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 1: miles or kilometers as the case may be. Now, the 437 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: the fun part of this, of course, they have to 438 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 1: be kept separate initially because you want them to collide 439 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: when they're at act speed. Yeah, and at the detector sites, 440 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 1: so they have to they have to collide at the 441 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: right speed and at the right location. It also means 442 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: that you have to make this this environment as close 443 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: to a perfect vacuum as you possibly can, because even 444 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: a single mote of dust floating in this device somewhere 445 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: would cause billions of protons to collide prematurely. So you 446 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: have to try and make it as close to a 447 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: perfect vacuum as possible. It also means that in order 448 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 1: to get the magnets to be as efficient and fast 449 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: as possible, you have two super cool them. Now super 450 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: cooling an electro magnet. The reason why you want to 451 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: do that is to reduce resistance. Now, resistance is well, 452 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: it kind of is what it sounds. It's it's a 453 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: conductor's tendency to resist the flow of electrons. Typically we 454 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 1: experience this in the form of heat. So as an 455 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: electronic device heats up, as the electronic components are heating up, 456 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: it's because they are resisting the flow of electrons through 457 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: that whatever component is. So in order to reduce this 458 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 1: quality that all conductors possess, I mean, as you know, 459 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: you can reduce it in different ways. But one of 460 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: the ways is too super cool an electromagnet. You can 461 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: reduce the resistance to almost nothing. Um they use not 462 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: liquid nitrogen. Uh, not liquid hydrogen, but liquid helium, which 463 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: is incredibly cold about one point eight degree kelvin. Technically 464 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: we shouldn't say degree, but yes, one point eight kelvin. Sorry, no, 465 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: that that's something else I need to have correct in 466 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:38,520 Speaker 1: my article. I do have an article about the large 467 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 1: Hadron Collider at how Stuff Works, and it's an article 468 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: I'm particularly proud of. But as I was reading, I said, huh, 469 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:47,479 Speaker 1: I said degree kelvin. I should have just said kelvin. 470 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:52,360 Speaker 1: So so that's my fault. Send all hate mail to me. 471 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: The the the um information I got from the scientists 472 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: over you know, and doing the research from discern website. 473 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:03,360 Speaker 1: They said, to Greek kelvin shows degree. Well, it's not 474 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 1: discertain website. Is um UM a different a different group 475 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: one of the groups from the UK that that works 476 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 1: as part of the scientists that are doing that. I 477 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: suddenly feel better than I had. Someone once chastise me 478 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: for saying to Greek kelvin, that's why that's why I 479 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:22,280 Speaker 1: jumped up. That is a good point. But I think 480 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: I think it's a useful construct in our hands. So 481 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,400 Speaker 1: if you're wondering what zero kelvin is, so one point 482 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 1: eight one point nine kelvin, depending on who you ask. 483 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: Zero kelvin is zero molecular movement. Yeah, that would be 484 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: in the deepest, zero, deep, absolute zero, deepest reaches of space, 485 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: where there is no molecular movement at all. That is 486 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,960 Speaker 1: zero kevin. It's the coldest you can possibly be because 487 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 1: heat really boils down to molecular movement. And if you 488 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:57,840 Speaker 1: don't have any molecular movement, you can't get any colder 489 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: than that. Um, you can't and have negative molecular movement. 490 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 1: So one point nine one kelvin, which is what I 491 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 1: had originally seen, but one point eight kelvin if you 492 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: want to know what that translates to in in the 493 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,200 Speaker 1: terms that we tend to use on a day to 494 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 1: day basis, that is colder than negative two hundred seventy 495 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: one degrees celsius or for those fahrenheit fans among us, 496 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 1: negative four hundred fifty six fahrenheits. So bundle up. Yeah. 497 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:31,200 Speaker 1: By the way, the organization I was quoting from was 498 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: the Science, Science and Technology Facilities Council. Well, you know 499 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:37,200 Speaker 1: what they know what they're talking about. I'm going to 500 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: say degreek kelvin then and Uh, anyway, the the at 501 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:45,719 Speaker 1: this temperature, you have reduced resistance to almost a non factor, 502 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 1: which is important to get these electromagnets to operate at 503 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 1: the proper speed and efficiency, to keep these beams on track, 504 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,440 Speaker 1: and to direct them properly so they're going faster and 505 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,960 Speaker 1: faster till they hit their top speed. At that point, 506 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,760 Speaker 1: you want to direct them at whichever detector site is 507 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: going to be measuring collisions at that moment. And uh, 508 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:11,200 Speaker 1: when the collisions happened, they happen at about six hundred 509 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 1: million collisions per second. Now, remember we're talking about a 510 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:22,880 Speaker 1: hundred billion protons per bunch, so six million per second. 511 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,920 Speaker 1: That should lead you to the conclusion that not all 512 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,960 Speaker 1: these protons are colliding with other protons. And it's true 513 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: because at that level, at that sub atomic size, it's 514 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:37,200 Speaker 1: really hard to be so precise that you're going to 515 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: make sure that every proton is going to collide with 516 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: a proton coming from the other direction. It's just not 517 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:46,680 Speaker 1: really possible. We don't have that level precision. So some 518 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: of these protons, actually a lot of protons will not 519 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 1: collide with anything, and they end up going through the 520 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: large hadron collider. Further until they hit uh, essentially a 521 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:02,840 Speaker 1: wall that's does ring to absorb protons, and it's it's 522 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:06,600 Speaker 1: their proton dump. And again it's not always just protons. 523 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:13,840 Speaker 1: There there's one particular uh set of of of measuring 524 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:18,279 Speaker 1: devices connected to the LHC that's all about iron ions, 525 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 1: so it's not just protons. But that's again the the 526 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 1: the typical use for the LHC, so six hundred million 527 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 1: collisions per second. And then at these detector sites, they 528 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: have these very very advanced pieces of equipment that observe 529 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 1: what happens next, and they're observing trajectories and accelerations and 530 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:47,640 Speaker 1: will really velocities I should say velocities trajectories of various 531 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 1: um sub atomic particles that result from this collision, and 532 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 1: things like quarks, which are sounds made by dirks. Mhm, 533 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 1: Dirk makes a quirk. Uh, no quirks, which are they 534 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: They're very unstable. They last less than a fraction of 535 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:10,960 Speaker 1: a second. Well I guess technically they would last a 536 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:15,240 Speaker 1: fraction of a second. They last less than a second long. Yeah, uh. 537 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,320 Speaker 1: And there's this stuff called gluon, which is a mitigating force. 538 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,399 Speaker 1: I thought that's what you used to stick together your 539 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:27,960 Speaker 1: m uh No, I use glue on applied directly to forehead. Um, 540 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,080 Speaker 1: you were doing so well without the jokes. By the way, 541 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 1: Also interesting, very tiny little particles they are. They're negatively 542 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 1: charged particles, so in that way they're kind of like electrons, 543 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:43,880 Speaker 1: but they are two hundred times heavier than an electron 544 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: is and also very unstable. One of the other things 545 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:54,359 Speaker 1: that could potentially result from these collisions is the tiniest 546 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:58,439 Speaker 1: version of a black hole I can imagine, uh, which 547 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: caused some people to freak out right. They thought, Oh, 548 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 1: the LHC is going to create a black hole and 549 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: we're all going to die, which was a silly, silly 550 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,960 Speaker 1: thing to think, because a black hole, as we think 551 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:13,200 Speaker 1: of it, is a collapsed star. It's an incredibly dense 552 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:18,640 Speaker 1: h point where or really point is the wrong term too, 553 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: but it's incredibly dense and has an incredibly strong gravitational 554 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:28,880 Speaker 1: poll that light itself cannot escape. But you think about that, 555 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:32,800 Speaker 1: that's the result of a star collapsing in on itself, 556 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: gravity pulling the contents of the star into a dense, 557 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:43,960 Speaker 1: more and more dense uh point. Really, we're talking about 558 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:50,120 Speaker 1: protons slapping into each other at that scale. It's entirely different, 559 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: and a black hole generated by a proton collision would 560 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:57,279 Speaker 1: last less than a fraction of a second. So you're 561 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:02,640 Speaker 1: talking about something that is not at all a danger 562 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: to human life on Earth. Um, well, I've seen the 563 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:12,799 Speaker 1: documentary The black Hole. Yeah, it looks pretty scary. Uh, yeah, 564 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 1: the the it's just not something you need to worry about. 565 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,759 Speaker 1: There's also the the there's been a little bit of 566 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,439 Speaker 1: news about the fact that one of the many scientific 567 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:27,720 Speaker 1: studies that's connected to the Large Hadron Collider is looking 568 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:31,840 Speaker 1: at um cosmic rays and really it's looking to see 569 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:36,800 Speaker 1: how we could create better devices to study cosmic rays 570 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:40,840 Speaker 1: out in the universe, which it's really hard to do 571 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: from Earth because the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere protect 572 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 1: us from cosmic rays. So you can't really build a 573 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,920 Speaker 1: device here on Earth that can study them because they 574 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 1: can't get here. Um. And there was so there were 575 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 1: some worry about cosmic rays, which could be potentially incredibly 576 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:59,719 Speaker 1: dangerous to humans. It could cause lots of problems. Uh, 577 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:04,680 Speaker 1: that that would be an issue, But again, uh, not 578 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:08,520 Speaker 1: not as as scary as it would first sound. That 579 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:12,240 Speaker 1: we're talking about stuff that is on a tiny scale 580 00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 1: and lasts, so it doesn't exist long enough for it 581 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,160 Speaker 1: to really do anything other than give us really cool 582 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:25,840 Speaker 1: information about how to study this stuff beyond a laboratory environment. 583 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:29,080 Speaker 1: And that's important too, because you know the implications for 584 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 1: the study they fall, there's a domino effect. It affects 585 00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:36,560 Speaker 1: other stuff, including things like if we ever wanted to 586 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:43,120 Speaker 1: look at space exploration, exploration, or colonization beyond what we've 587 00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:48,359 Speaker 1: already done, you know, manned exploration and colonization. We need 588 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: to know more about cosmic radiation because this is stuff 589 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: that we have to protect ourselves against. Otherwise we could 590 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:58,759 Speaker 1: end up having a tragedy on our hands where you know, 591 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:02,520 Speaker 1: everything technologically works fine, we just didn't take into account 592 00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:06,919 Speaker 1: other factors that would be in play in the far 593 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:12,760 Speaker 1: reaches of space. So there are definitely some some applications 594 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 1: to this future application. So that's beyond just the fact 595 00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:17,880 Speaker 1: that we have an understanding of our universe, which personally, 596 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,760 Speaker 1: I think is important enough on its own to justify 597 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:25,279 Speaker 1: the existence of something like this. Um, I'm sorry you're 598 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,160 Speaker 1: gonna say something. Well, no, I didn't know if you 599 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,320 Speaker 1: had another point to add about the actual No, no, no, 600 00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:33,319 Speaker 1: that's that's that I think that's a that's pretty much 601 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: all I have about the macaques apart from I then 602 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:38,680 Speaker 1: we're gonna I can talk a little bit about the 603 00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:42,239 Speaker 1: the various sites uh and and equipment that's connected to 604 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:46,839 Speaker 1: the LHC. Right. Um, well, yeah, the when it when 605 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:50,239 Speaker 1: it's working at full strength, it should be able to 606 00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:55,319 Speaker 1: uh smash particles up to seven times the amount of 607 00:39:55,320 --> 00:40:00,320 Speaker 1: force that current um, the current colliders around the world 608 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 1: can um the uh you know, the in the United States, 609 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:08,960 Speaker 1: the Fermi Lab has the most powerful collider that we 610 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:10,920 Speaker 1: have here in this country. And they actually we're going 611 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,880 Speaker 1: to build another one to rival the LHC. Yes, actually 612 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: was going to be larger than the LHC. Yes. However, um, 613 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:22,480 Speaker 1: those are expensive, and the United States eventually donated money 614 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:27,760 Speaker 1: to the LHC project. UM. So basically they said, okay, 615 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:29,879 Speaker 1: well we'll just go in with you guys for right now, 616 00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:34,759 Speaker 1: because because after all, it is a friendly rivalry. Well 617 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,120 Speaker 1: and I mean, ultimately, this is all about uncovering more 618 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:40,879 Speaker 1: information about the universe, not about you know, it's it's 619 00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:43,320 Speaker 1: not like the space race. It's not a political thing, no, 620 00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:46,959 Speaker 1: not not to that extent. To the extent there, yeah, 621 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:52,960 Speaker 1: there's the there's the bragging rights issues. So um so, yeah, 622 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,080 Speaker 1: they they've gone to a great deal of effort to 623 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: to build this device. Um So, which projects did you 624 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:02,439 Speaker 1: want to Well, I was going to mention the major ones. 625 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:06,040 Speaker 1: So there's a like I said, there's the different collision points, 626 00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:09,080 Speaker 1: the detector sites. Uh. The one of the major ones 627 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:15,960 Speaker 1: is called ATLAS, which stands for a Toroidal LHC Apparatus 628 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 1: Atlas UH, and that is it's a measuring device. It's 629 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:24,560 Speaker 1: about forty five long, which is about hundred forty seven ft, 630 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,920 Speaker 1: twenty five tall which is two ft, and it weighs 631 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:34,880 Speaker 1: about seven thousand tons, and it's an observation station. Um. 632 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,120 Speaker 1: Just that's probably the biggest one. I would say it's 633 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:41,560 Speaker 1: the most well known out of the people who have studied, uh, 634 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:46,960 Speaker 1: the whole LHC development. There's also my favorite is uh, yes, 635 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:51,080 Speaker 1: the a Large Ion Collider Experiment or ALICE. That's the 636 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:52,880 Speaker 1: one that I said, you know, there were there was 637 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: a device specifically designed to look at the collisions of 638 00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:03,480 Speaker 1: iron ions. This is it, and that's specifically to look 639 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:08,400 Speaker 1: at conditions that would have been present right after the 640 00:42:09,239 --> 00:42:13,120 Speaker 1: very early stages of the Big Bang. So um, yeah, 641 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:17,920 Speaker 1: that's a you know, that's that's the one that specifically 642 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:20,799 Speaker 1: is about that the all the stuff references I was 643 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:24,000 Speaker 1: making earlier in the episode. Then there's CMS, which is 644 00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:27,600 Speaker 1: the compact muon solenoid experiment, right, and that one can 645 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:31,239 Speaker 1: actually generate a magnetic field that's one times almost one 646 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:35,880 Speaker 1: hundred times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. Um. Powerful stuff. 647 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:39,120 Speaker 1: There's the so if your forks suddenly fly across the 648 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 1: room and stick to the wall, they got it to work. 649 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:46,680 Speaker 1: That's a joke. The Large Hadron Collider beauty detector, which 650 00:42:46,719 --> 00:42:49,160 Speaker 1: is looking for a beauty quirk, which is what you 651 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:52,239 Speaker 1: can find on Cindy Crawford's face. She's got a little 652 00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:55,239 Speaker 1: beauty quark right there over lip. This is known as 653 00:42:55,360 --> 00:43:00,160 Speaker 1: l h C B. It's a great pepsi commercial. This 654 00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:03,759 Speaker 1: is rapidly devolving. Yeah alright, no, so beauty quark is 655 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:08,200 Speaker 1: one of those um those uh, those sub atomic fundamental 656 00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:11,240 Speaker 1: particles that only exists for a fraction of a second. 657 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,480 Speaker 1: Then there's the Total Elastic and Defractive cross Section Measurement 658 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: Experiment or totem UM. That's one of the smaller detectors 659 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:25,520 Speaker 1: in the LHC and it measures the size of protons 660 00:43:25,760 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 1: and how effective the LHC actually is. So in other words, 661 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:32,520 Speaker 1: this this is really to make sure that the LHC 662 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:37,759 Speaker 1: is in fact performing at UH at the level that 663 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,919 Speaker 1: it needs to. So it's it's almost like it's more 664 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:46,759 Speaker 1: about the measuring device than about what it's measuring, which 665 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,520 Speaker 1: is sort of funny because after all this time and 666 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:52,080 Speaker 1: all this money and effort that have been spent on it, 667 00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:56,160 Speaker 1: the the LHC is still not working at full capacity. Well, 668 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:59,360 Speaker 1: it's also had a few delays. One of those delays 669 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:02,560 Speaker 1: there was one ay where I mean, you're talking about 670 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:08,319 Speaker 1: the most complex machine ever built, right, So it's it's 671 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:11,759 Speaker 1: incredibly complicated, which also means there are a lot of 672 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:16,480 Speaker 1: different points of failure, and there have been several fairly 673 00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:20,839 Speaker 1: well publicized failures that the LHC suffered on its way 674 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 1: to becoming operational. Like the Dusk Star UH. There were ewoks, 675 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:29,480 Speaker 1: e walks definitely were a problem. No, no, there was 676 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:32,200 Speaker 1: one of them was there was a leak and the 677 00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: liquid helium UH system, which led a lot of people 678 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:39,600 Speaker 1: to make jokes about scientists speaking in high pitched, sweaky voices. 679 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:43,880 Speaker 1: But you know, liquid helium I would not recommend in 680 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:48,880 Speaker 1: haling it. It would kill you instantly. Uh maybe not instantly, 681 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:51,520 Speaker 1: but it would definitely kill you because you're talking about 682 00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:54,080 Speaker 1: something that's so cold that it would you know, destroy 683 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:57,280 Speaker 1: any tissue it came into contact with. Not a pleasant 684 00:44:57,280 --> 00:44:59,920 Speaker 1: way to go, I would imagine. But anyway, liquid helium leak. 685 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:02,719 Speaker 1: So they had to repair that to get the magnets 686 00:45:02,760 --> 00:45:07,719 Speaker 1: working properly. Um there there are tens of thousands of magnets, 687 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:11,640 Speaker 1: lots and lots of magnets UM for the big ones, 688 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:13,920 Speaker 1: I think there's nine thousand, six hundred, and then there 689 00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:17,320 Speaker 1: are a bunch of support magnets too, UM magnet schools 690 00:45:17,320 --> 00:45:22,839 Speaker 1: as well around the whole area. The the the other 691 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:26,879 Speaker 1: big failure news story was what we alluded to early 692 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:30,360 Speaker 1: in the podcast about there was a story that something 693 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:33,040 Speaker 1: had fouled up some of the instruments for the LHC 694 00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: and and delayed its opening, and they had no idea 695 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:40,440 Speaker 1: what it was. They linked it, they they they flipped 696 00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:44,799 Speaker 1: the switch. Yeah, they linked it to the possibility. Apparently 697 00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:51,160 Speaker 1: a bird dropped some bread, specifically a piece of baguette. 698 00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:58,520 Speaker 1: Because we're talking about France, the door Switzerland, so Strutle 699 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:01,600 Speaker 1: not to be Germany. Um, so I dropped a piece 700 00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:07,359 Speaker 1: of baguette down a ventilation shaft which would eventually ended 701 00:46:07,440 --> 00:46:10,759 Speaker 1: up gumming up some of the works and causing mechanical 702 00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:15,160 Speaker 1: failure electrical failure, which set back the operational date of 703 00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:23,920 Speaker 1: the LHC UH and created a wonderful um ground for 704 00:46:24,040 --> 00:46:29,360 Speaker 1: some amazing jokes. Of course, also, I mean, since the 705 00:46:29,719 --> 00:46:33,839 Speaker 1: LHC has come online, we've heard other funny jokes, like 706 00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:39,840 Speaker 1: the possibility that neutrinos, which are particles that have no mass. 707 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:42,080 Speaker 1: So you remember I was talking about there's some particles 708 00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:45,040 Speaker 1: that have mass and some that don't. Neutrinos don't have mass. 709 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:47,760 Speaker 1: So why do neutrinos have no mass while other particles 710 00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:49,719 Speaker 1: do have mass. That's again one of the questions we 711 00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:53,280 Speaker 1: want to ask. Um. Some experiments that are related discern 712 00:46:55,239 --> 00:46:59,440 Speaker 1: seemed to indicate that newtrinos were traveling faster than they should, 713 00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:02,520 Speaker 1: faster than the speed of light, that they were actually 714 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:07,160 Speaker 1: arriving at their destination fractions of a second before they 715 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:10,360 Speaker 1: should have, and that if this were in fact true, 716 00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:13,759 Speaker 1: that it would mean that neutrinos could travel faster than 717 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:16,000 Speaker 1: the speed of light and would call into question lots 718 00:47:16,040 --> 00:47:21,399 Speaker 1: of fundamental things we believe about the innniverse. Ah, while 719 00:47:21,520 --> 00:47:25,799 Speaker 1: that's still kind of unfolding, it appears that all of 720 00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:31,160 Speaker 1: that was really more down to some very simple errors, 721 00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:34,880 Speaker 1: and that neutrinos in fact do not travel faster than 722 00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:37,680 Speaker 1: the speed of light. This did not stop people from 723 00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:43,839 Speaker 1: making jokes like neutrino knock, knock, who's there, Like that's 724 00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:49,480 Speaker 1: where our idea, neutrino arrives before the joke does. Um. 725 00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:55,439 Speaker 1: So yeah, So there's a couple of interesting stories about 726 00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:57,439 Speaker 1: the LHC. There are a lot more of them. I mean, 727 00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:01,000 Speaker 1: there's also the whole story about the people who wanted 728 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:04,640 Speaker 1: to SUECERN to keep the LHC from going online because 729 00:48:04,640 --> 00:48:09,920 Speaker 1: they firmly believe that the the facility would destroy the 730 00:48:09,920 --> 00:48:12,080 Speaker 1: Earth if it were turned on. Despite the fact that 731 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:15,080 Speaker 1: we should point out LHC is what what it's doing 732 00:48:15,200 --> 00:48:18,880 Speaker 1: is simulating stuff in a laboratory that happens all the 733 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:22,120 Speaker 1: time in the universe, and the universe is still around. 734 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:26,440 Speaker 1: So like, like these particles smashing into things at incredible 735 00:48:26,480 --> 00:48:30,080 Speaker 1: speeds that happens all the time in the universe. It 736 00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:32,959 Speaker 1: doesn't happen on the surface of Earth so much because 737 00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:36,160 Speaker 1: we have a magnetic field and atmosphere that that prevents 738 00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:39,120 Speaker 1: it from happening. But it happens all the time out 739 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:42,439 Speaker 1: in space, and we don't see any evidence of that 740 00:48:43,239 --> 00:48:47,560 Speaker 1: wreaking havoc. So there's no real difference between it happening 741 00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:49,680 Speaker 1: out in space and happening in a in a lab, 742 00:48:49,840 --> 00:48:51,880 Speaker 1: apart from the fact that it's a controlled environment that 743 00:48:51,920 --> 00:48:54,879 Speaker 1: we can actually observe. So a lot of the objections 744 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:58,440 Speaker 1: that people raised were really they had no merit, And 745 00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:01,200 Speaker 1: if you thought about it for a few minutes, you realize, 746 00:49:01,239 --> 00:49:03,960 Speaker 1: wait a minute, if this happens all the time anyway, 747 00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:07,719 Speaker 1: and we're all still around, chances are it's not a 748 00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:11,399 Speaker 1: big problem. So there were there were those stories too, 749 00:49:11,719 --> 00:49:14,120 Speaker 1: which you know, ultimately we're still around. The LEGC has 750 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:16,080 Speaker 1: been working, so it doesn't seem to be a problem. 751 00:49:16,080 --> 00:49:18,880 Speaker 1: Plus we've also had other particle accelerators that are doing 752 00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:23,000 Speaker 1: work very similar to the LHC for years, not at 753 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:28,080 Speaker 1: the level of the LHC, but but comparable work. So 754 00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:32,600 Speaker 1: those held no water. And there are other LHC stories 755 00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:36,760 Speaker 1: too that are interesting and am using um to varying 756 00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:39,520 Speaker 1: degrees depending on how dorky you are. For me, there 757 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:42,960 Speaker 1: are a lot of them. That's how dorky I am. Well, 758 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:45,080 Speaker 1: I'm interested to see what happens when they finally get 759 00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:49,719 Speaker 1: the machine running at full power. UM. They think they 760 00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:54,240 Speaker 1: may have found the Higgs boson um, you know, running 761 00:49:54,239 --> 00:49:58,560 Speaker 1: into approximately half power, and so just imagining what's going 762 00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:01,600 Speaker 1: to happen when they can get it running at full strength. 763 00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:05,520 Speaker 1: They may be able to to, uh do some confirmation 764 00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:07,920 Speaker 1: of some of these these things, at least, you know, 765 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:12,160 Speaker 1: repeat the experiments and get them to uh to produce 766 00:50:12,200 --> 00:50:15,359 Speaker 1: similar results. So it's it'll be interesting. And I think 767 00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:17,120 Speaker 1: one of the nice things about it is too that 768 00:50:17,719 --> 00:50:21,600 Speaker 1: UM with this device science has been able to capture 769 00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:25,440 Speaker 1: a few headlines UM because it doesn't all I think 770 00:50:25,440 --> 00:50:28,239 Speaker 1: it's Yeah, I think it's definitely one of the many 771 00:50:28,280 --> 00:50:32,480 Speaker 1: scientific endeavors that is UM that's prevalent in the news 772 00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:36,600 Speaker 1: that has really helped kind of bring you know, it's 773 00:50:36,640 --> 00:50:38,680 Speaker 1: a weird word to use, but sort of a renaissance 774 00:50:38,880 --> 00:50:44,640 Speaker 1: and interest in science because that partnered with some of 775 00:50:44,680 --> 00:50:48,080 Speaker 1: the space exploration stories we've talked about recently on the 776 00:50:48,120 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 1: podcast and just stuff that's recently in the news I 777 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:56,280 Speaker 1: think has really kind of inspired new generations of potential 778 00:50:56,320 --> 00:51:00,839 Speaker 1: scientists and engineers to really push themselves and and and 779 00:51:00,960 --> 00:51:05,759 Speaker 1: push forward our barriers of knowledge, which is fantastic. So 780 00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:09,080 Speaker 1: that's also a huge contribution, you know. And I forgot 781 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:11,080 Speaker 1: the one story that we had talked about before the 782 00:51:11,120 --> 00:51:15,160 Speaker 1: show that I wanted to mention that the one bizarre 783 00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:19,880 Speaker 1: theory that the reason why the LHC was failing so 784 00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:22,960 Speaker 1: many times or and or the reason why it was 785 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:25,360 Speaker 1: so hard to find the Higgs boson was that the 786 00:51:25,440 --> 00:51:31,239 Speaker 1: Higgs boson itself was some form of sentience was traveling 787 00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:36,400 Speaker 1: back in time from the future to sabotage the LHC 788 00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:39,239 Speaker 1: so that we would not be able to discover the 789 00:51:39,320 --> 00:51:42,360 Speaker 1: Higgs boson, because were we to discover the Higgs boson, 790 00:51:42,920 --> 00:51:46,160 Speaker 1: a series of events events would unfold that would be 791 00:51:46,280 --> 00:51:51,520 Speaker 1: so incredibly catastrophic as to bring the entire universe's safety 792 00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:54,920 Speaker 1: into jeopardy or something along those lines. Essentially, it's the 793 00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:59,320 Speaker 1: story of Terminator Too, but done with a Higgs Boson 794 00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:05,200 Speaker 1: in place. Arnold Schwartzeningger I mean sort of, which is 795 00:52:05,480 --> 00:52:08,319 Speaker 1: and I was telling Chris, like, the more I read 796 00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:11,799 Speaker 1: about this, the more I could not tell if this 797 00:52:11,880 --> 00:52:16,000 Speaker 1: was just someone being incredibly tongue in cheeks, silly about 798 00:52:16,040 --> 00:52:18,919 Speaker 1: it and just you know, sort of well, you know, 799 00:52:19,520 --> 00:52:21,520 Speaker 1: the reason the LHC has had so many problems is 800 00:52:21,560 --> 00:52:24,360 Speaker 1: probably because blah blah blah blah blah, or if it 801 00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:30,240 Speaker 1: was someone who genuinely believed this bizarre theory. I honestly 802 00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:32,080 Speaker 1: don't know the answer to that. I'm hoping it's the 803 00:52:32,120 --> 00:52:35,240 Speaker 1: first case, because that's awesome. It's almost like it's almost 804 00:52:35,239 --> 00:52:39,799 Speaker 1: like if Andy Kaufman were a quantum physicist. You know, 805 00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:45,360 Speaker 1: the problem is that this subotomic theoretical particle has traveled 806 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:48,160 Speaker 1: from the future and is is mucking about with all 807 00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:51,160 Speaker 1: of our works so that we can't find it. That 808 00:52:51,239 --> 00:52:55,200 Speaker 1: sounds like an Andy Kaufman joke to me. So anyway, 809 00:52:56,560 --> 00:52:59,879 Speaker 1: that's kind of the basis of how the LHC were 810 00:53:00,120 --> 00:53:02,840 Speaker 1: and what it does and why it's important, and the 811 00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:05,320 Speaker 1: work that's going on is amazing. I mean, the the 812 00:53:06,160 --> 00:53:09,279 Speaker 1: reason why CERN has that grid of computers that we 813 00:53:09,360 --> 00:53:12,560 Speaker 1: talked about is because the amount of data that the 814 00:53:12,719 --> 00:53:18,040 Speaker 1: LHC gathers every second is huge, basically millions of snapshots 815 00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:20,960 Speaker 1: what's going on, So there has to be this massive 816 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:25,879 Speaker 1: network of grid computers there to help decipher what all 817 00:53:25,880 --> 00:53:29,120 Speaker 1: that data actually means and to make it meaningful to us. 818 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:34,319 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's a phenomenal project that's continuing, and I 819 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:37,680 Speaker 1: hope that they continue doing great science. I can't wait 820 00:53:37,719 --> 00:53:40,640 Speaker 1: to see what else comes out of it, and whether 821 00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:43,840 Speaker 1: or not the Higgs boson is in fact something we 822 00:53:43,960 --> 00:53:47,600 Speaker 1: have already discovered, or or perhaps it's something totally different, 823 00:53:47,680 --> 00:53:50,759 Speaker 1: and our scientific knowledge will expand in ways we did 824 00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:54,080 Speaker 1: not expect, which that's probably the most exciting thing about science. 825 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:57,120 Speaker 1: It's finding out that what you thought you knew is wrong, 826 00:53:57,200 --> 00:54:01,400 Speaker 1: but what is real is even more amazing. Up phenomenal stuff. 827 00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:04,040 Speaker 1: All right, guys, if you have any suggestions for topics 828 00:54:04,040 --> 00:54:07,200 Speaker 1: that we should tackle here on tech Stuff, I recommend 829 00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:10,440 Speaker 1: you do one of two things. You either write yourself 830 00:54:10,480 --> 00:54:14,279 Speaker 1: a little email and you put in the two form 831 00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:17,520 Speaker 1: tex stuff at Discovery dot com and then you extend, 832 00:54:18,600 --> 00:54:22,000 Speaker 1: or you can contact us on Facebook and or Twitter. 833 00:54:22,360 --> 00:54:25,480 Speaker 1: Are handle on both of those is tech Stuff, hs 834 00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:29,080 Speaker 1: W Chris and I will talk to you again in 835 00:54:29,120 --> 00:54:33,120 Speaker 1: the past because we're going faster than light for more 836 00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:35,440 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics. Is it has 837 00:54:35,480 --> 00:54:42,120 Speaker 1: stuff works dot Com brought to you by the reinvented 838 00:54:42,120 --> 00:54:44,839 Speaker 1: two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, Are you