CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider) Goes Live 10th Sept 08

[NT1440]

The new headline from the BBC is

Collider halted until next year​

Can't they just admit that it's a dud? 🙄

Do you realize what the actual problem was?

 

[Gray-Wolf]

Supposed failure of a magnet. With liquid helium leaking out. But to me, that is symptoms of a greater problem. It just won't work.

 

[MyDesktopBroke]

Can some one explain what the point of this is? I mean, I get that people have a never ending curiosity about life and the origin of the universe, but is it really worth billions and billions of dollars to figure out how life started when that money could be put to use figuring out how to make life better and longer? One of the leaders at CERN said that the whole thing is only about answers, and that anything that do they find can't be used

1) to benefit mankind in any way

2) be used in practical science for dozens, maybe hundreds, of years (until they can design machines for even more money to work with what they might find)

I'm sure I'm in ignorance to many thousands of benefits of the LHC that undoubtedly justify the billions spent on it, so feel free to enlighten me.

 

[whooleytoo]

Supposed failure of a magnet. With liquid helium leaking out. But to me, that is symptoms of a greater problem. It just won't work.

That's possible. What are you basing that theory on? They have successfully built smaller accelerators before, so why won't this one work?

 

[PlaceofDis]

Supposed failure of a magnet. With liquid helium leaking out. But to me, that is symptoms of a greater problem. It just won't work.

well yeah. a magnet melted, so they have to warm up that section to repair it and then cool it all back down again, which is time consuming.

the smaller accelerators prove that this is workable but on this scale, and with any large project there are going to be speed bumps along the way.

 

[Gray-Wolf]

So, the smaller version worked? they collided protons or such, and being that they are small in size they built a bigger one because?

If the little one truly worked, why need a larger one.

 

[whooleytoo]

One of the leaders at CERN said that the whole thing is only about answers, and that anything that do they find can't be used

1) to benefit mankind in any way

2) be used in practical science for dozens, maybe hundreds, of years (until they can design machines for even more money to work with what they might find)

I'm sure I'm in ignorance to many thousands of benefits of the LHC that undoubtedly justify the billions spent on it, so feel free to enlighten me.

I don't want to disagree with one of the CERN representatives, but I think what he said was misinterpreted. This experiment isn't likely to directly lead to a cure for all cancer, or an infinite supply of energy, of even a real perpetual motion accessory for your desk! But, it's likely to massively expand our understanding of how the universe works, which will, in time, trickle down into real world, practical engineering.

 

[whooleytoo]

So, the smaller version worked? they collided protons or such, and being that they are small in size they built a bigger one because?

If the little one truly worked, why need a larger one.

I'm open to correction on this, but I believe it's so they can accelerate the particles to near the speed of light; and that's possible with a larger accelerator.

I think this is the third large accelerator they've built.

 

[PlaceofDis]

So, the smaller version worked? they collided protons or such, and being that they are small in size they built a bigger one because?

If the little one truly worked, why need a larger one.

because the smaller ones can't operate in the scope that this one can? they can't speed up the particles to the same speed nor do they operate at the same temps.