Stop calling it the God Particle!

US physicists confirm “God Particle” finding is near

US-based physicists said Wednesday that their experiments confirm those from a major European atom-smasher’s that have narrowed the range where the elusive Higgs boson particle could be hiding. The results come from the now-defunct Tevatron collider, which closed down in September after nearly a quarter century, though physicists continue to analyze its data in the hunt for the so-called “God particle.” The Higgs boson is the missing link in the standard model of physics and is believed to be what gives objects mass, though scientists have never been able to pin it down and it exists only in theory. “The end game is approaching in the hunt for the Higgs boson,” said Jim Siegrist, Department of Energy associate director of science for high energy physics.

Source

Ok. So word is coming out that Tevatron has found another hint of the higgs boson in their data.

What the heck am I talking about?

quantum physics. Currently the "particle zoo" of quantum physics is incomplete. We can't explain mass. The theory and math suggest that the entire universe, all of space, is permeated with a field, called the Higgs field. The resistance this field offers is much like water against a boat. The effects of that resistance are what we consider to be "mass".

In quantum physics we have particles, and they impart their force via a field. What they are trying to do is smash (protons or electrons can't remember) together hard enough to mimic the initial moments after the big bang. The hope is that, if they run enough collisions, they will "break off" a piece of the higgs field, and prove the higgs boson exists, and completes the theory, thus linking quantum mechanics, to general relativity AND explaining gravity.

That said. STOP CALLING IT THE GOD PARTICLE. See this comment from WRH probably from Mike Rivero himself.:

They SOOOOOOOOOOOOO want to find that particle, because then it means they will go to Heaven when they die! A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF REALLY EXPENSIVE (AND FAILED) ATTEMPTS TO CONNECT WITH THE GODS! Each of these constructions you see below represented the most advanced technology available at the time of their construction. All were created for the same purpose; to link directly to the gods.

Source

Now, I like whatreallyhappened. I tend to agree with Rivero on most things, but this isn't one of them.

Physicists do not refer to the higgs boson as the "god particle". People with an agenda do. Mike's agenda is anti religion. Which is fine, I'm not religious, so whatever. But he's taking a misunderstanding of science and skewing it around to be some religious conspiracy.

The higgs boson is the "god particle" in so much as it completes the set, and removes the need for, wait for it, a GOD or creator. It really doesn't, but from a certain scientific standpoint, it does.

So, call it the ghost particle, the graviton, the higgs, but stop calling it the god particle, because using those 3 letters allows people to say ridiculous crap.

The big bang isn't religion disguised as science. It's science proving religion wrong.

So, GOD went from being a CREATOR of the UNIVERSE to just a PARTICLE. Sorry but this laughable. So, all the Religious nuts are idolizing a PARTICLE instead of a BEING.

Let me go back and read that, I might be reading this wrong.

Even if they find the particle, whatever it may be, I'm highly doubtful they would have the answer of the universe.

I'm quite sure the knowledge they seek cannot be understood by the human brain.

reply to post by Manhater


No, what the OP is saying is that, there is a particular particle, smaller than a proton or electron that is essentially the building block for protons, electron, and neutrons, that has yet to be actually discovered. Modern quantum physics theorizes that such a particle is real but alas, there is not enough verifiable scientific data to prove the theory just yet (although they're working pretty hard at it over at CERN and other particle colliders).

The reason it is called the "God Particle" is because it would essentially eliminate the need for a higher power being involved with the creation of the universe. Really headi topic

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


Excellent thread. Thanks dude, I agree it shouldn't be called the "God Particle". Never really knew why I felt that way until your thread. S+F for you!

Oh, and Phish is pretty rad, but i can't wait for Furthurs East Coast tour thats about to start!

reply to post by Manhater

Let me go back and read that, I might be reading this wrong.

no worries, it's kinda tough to get your head around, but what people like rivero are saying, wrongly, is that science created the big bang, and is searching for the higgs, to prove the existence of "god" or a creator, and as such, with their complete and utter ignorance of the science being done, call it the god particle and call it religion disguised as science.

To me, being entirely nonreligious, it doesn't rule out a creator at all, it merely completes the puzzle of our reality. Someone still needs to explain WHY the rules of physics exist. String theory approaches that, but as of yet can't define any testable theories.

reply to post by Cantmakedisup

Modern quantum physics theorizes that such a particle is real but alas, there is not enough verifiable scientific data to prove the theory just yet (although they're working pretty hard at it over at CERN and other particle colliders).

Indeed and the data is helping them refine the search.

Keep in mind, only a few decades ago the atom was the smallest possible object in our reality, the basic building block. Then someone said, maybe we should smash the hell out of them. So they did, they split one, and guess what?? there's a nucleus, electrons and protons in there that make up the atom.

So then we were taught, the electron is the smallest particle.

And guess what? someone said "smash that crap together" and we found an almost limitless particle zoo. It has such been refined into the particles mentioned here.

The LAST piece of the puzzle is the higgs. The math works as so far has made no wrong predictions and I'm very hopeful we'll have answers in my lifetime, CERN is saying within a few short years if that.

But it doesn't rule out god, and the only ones calling it the god particle are misinformed and use the title as a slur.

reply to post by Manhater


Sorry to double reply, just wanted to address my feelings on this:

So, GOD went from being a CREATOR of the UNIVERSE to just a PARTICLE. Sorry but this laughable. So, all the Religious nuts are idolizing a PARTICLE instead of a BEING.

While running the risk of peeving off the religious ATS users.....

God was created to explain what was beyond our ability to explain. As science was discovered, the goal posts for a god keep getting moved back.

No, god didn't blink the solar system into existence. We can explain with science exactly how that took place, and then by using other fields of science, examine the objects around us in our region to prove this.

Once a complete particle picture of quantum theory is proven, and all that is left of the higgs, we can explain the universe around us. And this is where the "god" aspect seems to come in. Once we have a complete understanding of the laws of physics that rule our reality, we can complete the picture of how it came to be.

As some physicist said somewhere I don't remember and can't quote directly, if you understand the processes involved, and map out the particles of the universe at any given point, you can back track to the beginning.

The higgs field ties into inflationary theory. That theory states that in the initial microseconds of the big bang, space expanded, and indeed, continues to expand and is speeding up. The higgs field could account for inflation, indeed, it could be one of the driving factors behind it.

Once we prove the higgs is real, we have the key, it's a matter of drawing the map. We rule out the need of a god to create the universe in which we inhabit because every possible combination or variation exists, and we can only occupy the one with the right variables.

If we can fully explain how the universe around us was created, and finding the higgs is the key to that, we've removed god from the picture to a large extent.

Sadly, what happened before the bang is beyond the realm of science, and honestly, has no bearing on anything afterwards. The human brain simply can't comprehend the absence of everything. We are ruled by the laws of physics, and we can't comprehend reality under different rules.

The next strange and elusive particle they'll be on the hunt for will be called the God's God particle...or something like that.

reply to post by satron

God's God particle

Well that's what idiots like Rivero will be calling it. But you are half right, each time we think we are at the base layer, we peel it back and find more. The most interesting outcome would be to find no higgs at all, because then there will be a new wave of theories to test. If we find it, and complete the picture, what's left to look for?

Ultimately, the person to blame is Leon Lederman

Wiki

they cant call it a God Like Particle or GLP,
Alex Jones would sue.....tehe tehe

I must agree with the threadstarter there.

The higgs boson should be called. HIGGS BOSON!

I mean are people really that lazy? That they want to have a shorter version of it? I dont know.

God particle is wrong on so many accounts. The particle itself is at best just a tool of the creation of the universe. But well we aint talking where god is and what he is. So i reserve my thoughts on that.

But calling the higgs boson, God particle is just very boring.

reply to post by Inesophet


I read that the church named it so because without it the priests could not say mass.
/slinks off ducking eggs and tomatoes being thrown at aboutface