Partcle Accelerators - Just How The Heck do They Work?

Particle Accelerators. They're big. They're sexy. And they may change our view of the universe and our place in it. A particle accelerator is device used to accelerate sub-atomic particles (like a proton) to very high speeds. Particle accelerators have also been known as cyclotrons and atom smashers. Physicists design them in hopes of inquiring into the dynamics and structure of matter, space, and time. There are scores of particle accelerators and accelerator laboratories in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

These awe-inspiring and magnificent machines come in all different shapes and sizes. There are ring and linear accelerators and they perform various functions. Most people are excited about the colliders, like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.

How an accelerator Works

The principle behind the LHC is pretty simple. First, you fire two beams of particles along two pathways, one going clockwise and the other going counterclockwise. You accelerate both beams to near the speed of light. Then, you direct both beams toward each other and watch what happens.

According to Dr. Brian Cox, “In that moment of collision — less than a billionth of a second — you get extreme conditions, like the very early universe. You get a massive amount of energy, and loads of things flying out — like the debris of the collision. It can also form new particles that have never been seen before. And that’s what we’re really after.”

Just What the Heck are They Looking For

Today, physicists are looking for evidence to support their proposed model of the universe such as other dimensions we can't perceive. This could help support theories such as string theory and M-theory which need additional dimensions in order to make sense. Along with the Higgs Boson, they’re also looking for evidence of dark matter, dark energy, anti-matter, and whatever other surprises may appear.



We have to retain our sense of humor!



Scientists from CERN and around the globe will try to compute, analyze, and interpret massive amounts of data that could take many, many months. Will the LHC help us in advance our knowledge about our universe? It is almost certain it will raise more questions than it answers. Yet if past experiments at labs around the world are any indication, we can assume the answer is yes. Of course, there are those who claim these giant academic egghead toys are a complete and total waste of time and resources. Time will tell. Stay tuned!

Check out this computer animated YouTube Video on just how the Large Hadron Collider works!

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Guest Post: Mare Ball: On Following, Awards, Tagging and the Other Mysteries of Blogging

Hello Fellow Alphabet Fans! Today I'm pleased to introduce Mare Ball as our guest poster.

She blogs at Adventures in the Ballpark

Like me, she is a former educator. Unlike me, she can make a killer brownie ;-) An Air Force wife for 20 years, she now blogs about her life, including caring for her aging parents, and is working on a book about a family Christmas project. I found her post asks a lot of the same questions that I've been wondering about. I'm looking forward to a lively discussion! Please welcome her in true A-Z fashion with lost of comments. She certainly has opened the door wide for your opinion, so let it be heard!

I joined the A-Z Challenge for the first time this year. I’ve only been blogging for two years, and I’d not heard of the A-Z until just a week before it started. It was a wild and crazy ride, but I really enjoyed it. I wrote an A-Z reflection post on my blog about my experience, but I want to highlight some points here.

1. I was shocked at the number of bloggers that signed up. It was 1800 at one point. I’ve since learned there are 181 million blogs. Good grief.
2. I really wanted to at least look at every blog listed, but it was impossible. I did check out about half and found 100 that I really enjoyed. I continue to explore the blogosphere, and I’m still discovering blogs I love.
3. Over the month of April, I developed serious eyestrain, wrist soreness and a flat, achy butt from all the sitting and reading. I’m glad the challenge is only once a year.
4. I discovered that reading the “about me” page gave me more insight into a blogger than reading their letter-of-the-day post. The prompts were fun and revealed creativity, but I also wanted to know more about the heart of the writer, and the “about me” page provided that.
5. I discovered that the most visually appealing blogs (and the easiest to read) were ones with light backgrounds, short paragraphs, and not too much clutter on the sides.
6. I was impressed by the fact that there are published/professional writers who take the time to respond to and encourage other writers. I’m grateful for their generosity.
7. The A-Z Challenge confirmed to me that, after being away from writing for five years, I still love to write.  I have to write.  It's weird, and I don't get it, but it completes me (in a non-cheesy, non-Tom Cruise-kind-of-way.)   Thanks to the A-Z Challenge, I fell in love with writing all over again.  

I share these points because it tells you a bit about where I’m coming from as a writer. Since the A-Z Challenge, I’ve discovered some things I’m trying to reconcile, and I’d like input from other writers.

1. The “following” thing. I gained 70 followers over the course of the A-Z, and I followed as many or more. However, I can’t visit every blog I follow daily. I might check in with everyone weekly. It appears, though, that some of my readers comment on every post I write. I’m very touched by that and always respond…but, how do they do that? Does anyone visit every blog they follow daily?

Conversely, I have followers who drop in to follow and never visit again. That’s absolutely fine, but, then, why follow? I’m assuming the number of followers (for everyone) is somewhat deceptive, and I’m trying to discern the value/importance of the following system.

2. The reading list thing. On my blog roll, I have 126 blogs listed. In the Blogger dashboard/reading list, I see the latest posts from blogs I’m following. If number 6 blog doesn’t show up on my reading list, I assume there are no new posts from that blog – am I correct here?

3. The award/tag thing. Since May, I have received seven awards. I understand I’ve become more visible since the A-Z Challenge, and it’s very nice to be recognized. But, as one blogger wrote, awards seem a bit like chain letters. They involve answering questions (about yourself), then passing them on to other bloggers. Who may not want them, because they have to answer questions and pass them on to other bloggers. At some point, bloggers you want to give them to already have them. They whole thing, while kind, seems a bit silly. Am I alone here? I’m not ungrateful, I’m just trying to discern the value/importance of the award/tag system.

Thanks for reading. I’m expecting some great input. I might even give out some awards.

Mare

Alphabet Remix - Lamenting Love's Lure

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

Love has been one of the most popular topics for Letter L during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge -- so popular that some bloggers have opted to forgo being yet another one of the bajillion and six people who write about the sentiment in April. I mean, if we read one blog post about love, then we’ve read them all, right? Much like any other topic or letter, the answer to that question all depends on what is written.

You see, I don’t need a reminder of the existence of a possible oversaturation of love, to understand how dull the topic becomes when it’s sung, performed about and blogged into the ground. I’m in a metropolitan area known as “The City of Brotherly Love” and “The City that Loves You Back.” Heck, the sentiment even has its own park, complete with a waterfall and great views of the famous “Rocky” steps, just a few blocks away.

I’m sometimes puzzled when I notice tourists in awe of such landmarks -- probably because locals like myself often take these placed for granted. Yet, I still don’t mind reading about the topic of love because there are so many different ways that A to Z Challenge participants can write about it without looking or sounding like the same ol’ tune that their fellow bloggers are mixing up. Here are a few Love mixes to consider when trying to find topics to write about during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April.

Love Letters
Write a love letter to your spouse, parent, friend or a deceased loved one. Better yet, teach your readers how to craft a love letter to an estranged family member if they are seeking a reconnection. If you’re feeling artsy, make a comic showing three different love letters -- one between teenagers, one between newlyweds and one between two elderly people.

Lovers
Write a short story about two lovers who are faced with a problem. The conflict could revolve around an either low (or high. It could go one way or the other) libido, a scandalous trial over their extreme PDA or some weird transformation issue a la Cinderella, Shrek, Snow White, etc. if you like magic or fantasy stories.

You could also try your writing skills at creating some fan fiction starring two loves from your favorite Soap Opera, novel series or television show. An alternate approach to the topic would be to profile your favorite famous love triangle or lovers scandal in (hollywood, music, political, publishing/fictional) history and write about why you favor their story.

Lovely Fairywren
Find some interesting facts about this Australian bird and write about the one that you find most fascinating. Maybe you could explore how the “lovable” bird got its name or teach your readers about any nicknames that this particular species has. It is one of the quickest options for writing a short blog post for Letter L during the A to Z Challenge.

Now, onto other business. The Winner of Last Week’s Alphabet Soup Game is....

Corinne OFlynn at Ode to Blogging

She correctly unscrambled five of the eight movie titles ending with a Letter L word. Her prize packages includes: Title of Alphabet Wizard, The authority to pick the letter for the next Alphabet Soup game and the option to pick the Monday Movie Meme topic for an upcoming day on my blog.

Congratulations to Corinne!

Here are the answers to last week’s Alphabet Soup:

1. LoeaotLhdtsnf - Land of the Lost.
2. etoLosgnothNi - Nothing to Lose.
3. inneLhlTBeiu -Thin Blue Line.
4. hTeaLmaorpustseLferot - Treasure of the Lost Lamp.
5. edoLfsBoyi - Body of Lies.
6. ffmoienaIitLtio - Imitation of Life.
7. izroyaeLutSdCvp - Crazy Stupid Love.
8. e8tya2rsDaL - 28 Days Later.


I'd also like to send a special shout out to Sheila Siler at Sheila Scribbles, who not only played the Alphabet Soup game, but also correctly unscrambled No. 2 and No. 8 on the list. Kudos to you!

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!
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NICOLE
@MadlabPost on Twitter

Is Blogging Obsolete?

In explaining what blogging is all about to a new blogger, I realized more strongly than ever before that we bloggers are a community. We chat, we talk, we listen, we lend each other a hand, we are the performers and the audience rolled into one.

Many of my friends have shut down their blogs, and moved on to twitter-- blogging is dead, they say. Too many talkers, talk for too long-- no one listens.

But I know different. Blogging will survive, in one form or the other, because we as humans have the need to discuss, debate, sympathize, rant, explore and so many other things-- not all of which can be done all the time to our satisfaction in 140 characters.

The A to Z Challenge was proof enough for me that we bloggers as a community love to mingle and hold forth on anything and everything under the sun-- from meatloaves to metaphysics.

Has anyone told you blogging is obsolete? Do you agree?

Special Participant Feature - Andrew Leon

The A to Z Challenge saw some awesome themes. One of the most intriguing was Fiction to Reality by author Andrew Leon at Strange Pegs. Andrew put so much into his posts – the research he conducted was amazing. I asked Andrew to share a little about his theme for the 2012 Challenge:

Your theme was fiction to reality – what made you choose that?

Actually, my wife came up with the theme. I was sort of thinking out loud to her about all of the themes I'd thought of and why I'd rejected them (and having a theme was make it/break it thing for me; I wouldn't have done a to z without one), and she said something like, "Well, why don't you talk about things that started out as science fiction but are now real?" It was a great idea, and I went with it. Of course, not quite everything I chose is science fiction, which is why I did just fiction to reality.

What subject was the most difficult to research?

I didn't really have any topics that were difficult to research in and of themselves, but there were some letters that were difficult to find topics for. Like "J" and "Y." I could find physical -things- that we have that started with those letters, so I had to be a little more creative with those.

Who’s your favorite robot?

Oh, man, that's not even a fair question. Oh, well, wait... do you mean something that's just what we would call a robot, or do you also mean android? I'm gonna go with the 'droid answer, and I would pick R2-D2. I want one. Of course, I also love 3PO. I also love the character of Daneel Olivaw from Asimov.

Who was Tom Swift?

Tom Swift was a character from the, appropriately named, Tom Swift books. He was a boy genius that got himself out of trouble through his inventions. Tom Swift was conceived of by the same guy that thought up The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. There's still a current series of Tom Swift books out there a century after they first started being published.

Any plans to go back to school for a degree in Xenobiology?

You know, I think I'll skip anything that's going back to school. I think of taken a very Ray Bradbury view and decided that free education is the best education. Which is not to say no education, but reading and choosing what to read very deliberately is a much better way to learn than paying an organization a bunch of money to get a piece of paper.

You’re not secretly building a laser or raygun, are you?

Hmm... I can't really tell you that, now, can I? Just, you know, be wary if you wake up one morning to find your living room filled with a giant Jiffy Pop container. I actually do have an old story -somewhere- about a boy that makes the first handheld laser weapon. That was back in college, though, and I'm not sure where that's packed away.

If you do the Challenge next year, what theme would you tackle?

At this point, I have no idea. I haven't had any good ideas, yet, so that question is still just hovering around out there. I won't do it without a theme, though, and it has to be a theme that I'm not gonna find on a dozen other blogs.

Thanks for having me Alex! I really did enjoy all the research and stuff I learned by participating in the challenge.

Andrew, thanks for doing the interview and can’t wait to see what you come up with next year!

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE