
 First Particle Beam to Shoot Through the Large Hadron Collider Tomorrow - nickb
http://io9.com/5034820/first-particle-beam-to-shoot-through-the-large-hadron-collider-tomorrow
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stcredzero
Tell everyone who doesn't know that particles with even greater energy have
been hitting the Earth for billions of years. So if something bad could happen
from operating the LHC, it probably would've already happened.

~~~
ckinnan
The problem with Hadron is that two particles will hit each other precisely
head on, which is not what happens when cosmic energy passes through the
earth.

Even the project's organizers admit there's a remote chance of destroying the
planet through black holes or the creation of matter-altering stranglets.

I don't think the head-on collisions start until 2012 though.

~~~
stcredzero
Uh, what exactly do you mean by "precisely head on?" The particles are aimed
only such that you have one stream going through the same region of space as
another stream. They are not taking an individual particle and aiming it
marksman-like at another individual particle.

Even if this were the case, ever hear of "Relativity?" The whole point is that
there are no special reference frames. A particle hitting another oncoming
"head on" is the same as another hitting a "stationary" one. The point being:
there is no distinction between the LHC's particle collisions and cosmic rays
colliding with matter around our planet.

And as far as "remote chance" goes, given the huge number of collisions that
already happen with even greater energies, this chance must be about as remote
as a droplet of water being thrown spontaneously from a still glass of water
to the ceiling. There is a finite probability, but it's so low, it's
practically zero.

<http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4109>

