Lack Of Media Attention

Jenksz

11th September 2008 - 08:38 PM

A lack of media attention on the discussions revolving around the LHC and CERN have led me to come here.

I'm no physicist, I'm just your average top of the class student with no background in physics whatsoever.

I've read numerous articles, watched numerous videos and still and indecisive, albeit with a consistent adrenaline rush.

My questions to the physicists on here are as follows:
1) Is there a possibility that the LHC can create a black hole on October 21, 2008, which is when the collisions begin?
2) Hawking Radiation hasn't been confirmed and yet their going ahead and doing this? Even with odds in favor of people who say no black holes will form, there is still a minimal chance correct?

In attachment to question 2, I read that the US department of Energy, Science and Technology Division is dismissing court cases against CERN and the LHC, and are supporting the collisions of these particles on the 21st without knowledge of what we will find or what the outcome will be. I know none of you can answer why they are supporting this, as none of you represent them, I just don't understand why this isn't being displayed as much as it should be in the mainstream media, nor do I understand how the government of the US can back this without proper safety precautions.

Any answers/ help/ opinions is greatly appreciated, don't go all crazy terminology on me though, as I said earlier, no background in this field. Thanks.

ubavontuba

14th September 2008 - 06:14 AM

Jenksz,

These are good questions. Anyone have any ideas?

ASTERIX*

14th September 2008 - 06:23 AM

QUOTE (ubavontuba+Sep 14 2008, 06:14 AM)

Anyone have any ideas?

Check out your feedback, idiot.

dale123524

17th September 2008 - 11:27 AM

QUOTE (ubavontuba+Sep 14 2008, 06:14 AM)

Jenksz,

These are good questions. Anyone have any ideas?

uba,

You are a good example of a stupid scaremongerer. Anyone know when he'll f**k off?

Jenksz,

Consider why we don't see media attention about the possibility of the atmosphere suddenly igniting and killing anyone. It's a possibility, after all. Some things which are possible have such a vanishingly small chance of happening that they are not worth worrying about. Time and effort has been committed by those capable of demonstrating the vanishingly small chance of LHC eating the universe with black holes. Uba is one of the scaremongerers who ignores this because he doesn't understand it. Most people here think he's a bit of a c*ck muncher (sorry, I don't mean to insult any real c*ck munchers reading this)

MjolnirPants

17th September 2008 - 01:11 PM

QUOTE (Jenksz+Sep 11 2008, 08:38 PM)

1) Is there a possibility that the LHC can create a black hole on October 21, 2008, which is when the collisions begin?

Yes. It is a very small possibility, but yes.

QUOTE

2) Hawking Radiation hasn't been confirmed and yet their going ahead and doing this? Even with odds in favor of people who say no black holes will form, there is still a minimal chance correct?

Yes. Hawking radiation is very likely to be true. Yes, there is still a chance.

One notable fact is that even if a black hole is formed and doesn't evaporate, it presents a minimal danger to the earth.

Review of the safety of LHC collisions

Steveo

17th September 2008 - 08:47 PM

To add slightly to what MjolnirPants said, IF a mini black hole was created AND IF it did not evaporate because Hawking Radiation was not correct, it would still have almost no mass, which means its gravitational pull would be incredibly weak. Also, its radius would be so small that it would be an almost invisible target. I remember doing some super rough calculations (with just some simple undergrad equations a few years back) and its radius would be on the order of 10^-50m. So there would effectively no target (and thats assuming the entire center of mass energy is converted to the mass of the black hole.)

So, like was said, the risk is non zero, but so small its pretty much not even worth mentioning

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