The A/R Off Topic Thread

donothoponpop · 13-12-2011 10:59am

How does the BBC explain the Higgs particle to people? Why, in units of celebrities of course...

The Higgs explains why other particles have mass. As the Universe cooled after the Big Bang, an invisible force known as the Higgs field formed together with its associated boson particle.

It is this field (and not the boson) that imparts mass to the fundamental particles that make up atoms. Without it, these particles would zip through the cosmos at the speed of light.

Mass mechanism
The way the Higgs field works has been likened to the way photographers and reporters congregate around a celebrity. The cluster of people are strongly attracted to the celebrity and create resistance to his or her movement across a room. In other words, they give the celebrity "mass".

No wonder people are stupid.

jeffontour · 13-12-2011 5:49pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

How does the BBC explain the Higgs particle to people? Why, in units of celebrities of course...

No wonder people are stupid.

I think it's actually a very nice way of giving us non-particle physicists a way to visualise and begin to understand what exactly it is the actual particle physicists are blathering on about.

copacetic · 13-12-2011 6:01pm

I thought it was a well worked and valid analogy too, don't believe the BBC came up with it either, think it was CERN themselves? It's been in all the news stories worldwide. Probably helped to get 100s of times more coverage than it would have gotten without the analogy also.

It's just a development on the classic 'party analogy' which is good enough for any third level physics course!

misty floyd · 13-12-2011 6:06pm

When explaining electrons, I like to use the analogy of flies whizzing around dog sh1te.

close enough:cool:

donothoponpop · 13-12-2011 6:33pm

copacetic wrote: »

I thought it was a well worked and valid analogy too, don't believe the BBC came up with it either, think it was CERN themselves? It's been in all the news stories worldwide. Probably helped to get 100s of times more coverage than it would have gotten without the analogy also.

It's just a development on the classic 'party analogy' which is good enough for any third level physics course!

Can't find anything in the CERN press release. Maybe (maybe?:D) I'm just a crank, but I dislike how science "has" to be dumbed down and sexified for the common man. You want to explain one type of attraction creating resistance to movement? What's wrong with dropping a caraway seed into a fizzy drink? Classic fun for all the family, no need to invoke the picture of Billy Idol* being hounded by his fans.

*insert whoever is famous these days.

misty floyd wrote: »

When explaining electrons, I like to use the analogy of flies whizzing around dog sh1te.

close enough:cool:

Now that's a good analogy for celebrities!

copacetic · 13-12-2011 7:06pm

I don't see it in the link, but CERN have used the analogy a lot in the past and the creator worked with them. It's based a competition winning one page explanation from 1993 or so for science ministry in the UK. Which used thatcher as the celebrity

http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/~djm/higgsa.html

RayCun · 13-12-2011 9:53pm

Sounds like someone read the 1993 explanation and misunderstood it.

she acquires a greater mass than normal, that is, she has more momentum for the same speed of movement across the room. Once moving she is harder to stop, and once stopped she is harder to get moving again because the clustering process has to be restarted.

The cluster of people are strongly attracted to the celebrity and create resistance to his or her movement across a room

copacetic · 13-12-2011 10:00pm

Not really for me, it's about theoretical internial mass, which is kind of a resistance to both getting going when stopped and once going to stopping.so it holds as well as a simple analogy can.

They still haven't proved it, so currently the analogy would be that Thatcher would enter a room and slide across it at light speed and out the window!

donothoponpop · 13-12-2011 10:13pm

RayCun wrote: »

Sounds like someone read the 1993 explanation and misunderstood it.

CERN: "We need €7,500,000,000 to determine if the Higgs mechanism for generating elementary particle masses via electroweak symmetry breaking is actually realised in nature?"

Taxpayer: "You what now?"

CERN: "We need €7,500,000,000 to sort of like see how fast Kylie can cross a crowded room."

Taxpayer: "Ah, science. Here's a blank cheque."

BeepBeep67 · 16-12-2011 9:00pm

Just back in from a chilly run and I'm greeted with the smell of a curry wafting through the house and nice glass of white wine - she's a keeper!

robinph · 16-12-2011 9:20pm

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Just back in from a chilly run and I'm greeted with the smell of a curry wafting through the house and nice glass of white wine - she's a keeper!

Just back in from a run in the wind and sleet that felts as if my face was getting pelted with stones and discover that the freezer has decided to defrost itself over the kitchen floor. The freezer is getting dumped.

gerard65 · 16-12-2011 9:32pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo

robinph · 17-12-2011 5:36pm

Met up with some guys from the club this morning for our Saturday run, all wearing Santa hats or full Santa suits. Just a relaxed 8 miles around that took us 2 hours due to all the stops.

Few stops for photos. Stopped in the club secretaries shop to sing them "we wish you a merry Christmas " and then eat some cakes. Stopped outside some church and joined them for some carol singing as well. But the highlight...

THE HOFF.

Yep, he's playing in panto here and we spotted him walking down the street trying not to be seen with his hoody up. Few of us surrounded him and managed to get some pictures taken by his minder.

gerard65 · 17-12-2011 6:09pm

robinph wrote: »

Met up with some guys from the club this morning for our Saturday run, all wearing Santa hats or full Santa suits. Just a relaxed 8 miles around that took us 2 hours due to all the stops.

Few stops for photos. Stopped in the club secretaries shop to sing them "we wish you a merry Christmas " and then eat some cakes. Stopped outside some church and joined them for some carol singing as well. But the highlight...

THE HOFF.

Yep, he's playing in panto here and we spotted him walking down the street trying not to be seen with his hoody up. Few of us surrounded him and managed to get some pictures taken by his minder.

Had to google 'the hoff':o. Its a long way from babewatch to panto in Bristol:pac:
See my previous post.

robinph · 17-12-2011 7:01pm

gerard65 wrote: »

Had to google 'the hoff':o. Its a long way from babewatch to panto in Bristol:pac:
See my previous post.

gerard65 · 17-12-2011 8:40pm

Oddly I remember this better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuYrRebvFHc

RacoonQueen · 20-12-2011 12:53pm

Anyone fancy a trip to Austria for a wee cycle?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaNBuqSuNqk

robinph · 20-12-2011 1:02pm

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Anyone fancy a trip to Austria for a wee cycle?

No, but thanks for asking.

gerard65 · 20-12-2011 4:49pm

Thats crazy. Feel sick just watching it. No health and safety people in Austria?

ultraman1 · 21-12-2011 9:48pm

http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/fan-attacks-esteban-alvarado-ajax-vs-az-knvb-beker/
no messin with this keeper...

Woddle · 22-12-2011 10:47am

When brushing my teeth this morning I couldn't help but think that the kids dropped my brush in the toilet, sth didn't seem right

RayCun · 22-12-2011 10:51am

Woddle wrote: »

When brushing my teeth this morning I couldn't help but think that the kids dropped my brush in the toilet, sth didn't seem right

dropped in the toilet - or worse :pac:

gerard65 · 22-12-2011 12:22pm

Woddle wrote: »

When brushing my teeth this morning I couldn't help but think that the kids dropped my brush in the toilet, sth didn't seem right

I would'nt worry about it. The water you flush the toilet with is drinking water, absolute madness but what can you do:rolleyes:

ultraman1 · 22-12-2011 12:24pm

gerard65 wrote: »

I would'nt worry about it. The water you flush the toilet with is drinking water, absolute madness but what can you do:rolleyes:

and depends wat flushing policy u have in the gaf...

robinph · 22-12-2011 12:28pm

Anyone with a UK phone number don't forget to Vote Mo this evening:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/sports_personality/16292622.stm

...or if you're into those short distances I guess you could Vote Dai instead.