The Joy of Physics Isn’t in the Results, but in the Search Itself

I was asked recently what the Large Hadron Collider, the giant particle accelerator outside Geneva, is good for. After $10 billion and 15 years, the machine is ready to begin operations early next year, banging together protons in an effort to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang. Sure, there are new particles and abstract symmetries in the offing for those few who speak the language of quantum field theory. But what about the rest of us? Full Story »

Posted by Derek Hawkins - via NewsRack (Energy), New York Times (Most Emailed)
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Subjects: Sci/Tech
Topics: Science, Space
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# Diggs: 14 (as of 2009-12-29)
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Posted by: Posted by Derek Hawkins - Dec 28, 2009 - 6:10 PM PST
Reviewed by: Derek Hawkins (review)
Content Type: Article
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Edited by: Derek Hawkins - Dec 30, 2009 - 10:26 AM PST

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Derek Hawkins
4.4
by Derek Hawkins - Dec. 30, 2009

An elegant defense of the oft-ridiculed Large Hadron Collider and the Hubble Space Telescope. Overbye advises patience, trying his best to explain in plain terms why what these devices do is important. Highly recommended.

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