James Burleigh
Well-known member
Last night I was in Berkeley for a recruiting function and had the chance to meet my son, A~, the physics major for dinner. As usual, we talked about physics, which is really cool stuff. For example last night we were talking about how, at about 4 am just before they pulled the trigger on the first test of the A-Bomb at Los Alamos in 1945, one of the physicists said, "Um, I wonder if we should call the governor of New Mexico just to let him know we're going to make a pretty big bang, and that we might accidentally ignite the atmosphere and incinerate the state...?" 
Then A~ tells me about a similar situation of a potential catastrophic outcome with this new super-colider they're building. Apparently it will certainly create mini singularities (black holes). Those won't be a problem. But there's also a possibility, albeit a very small one, that it might create a black hole that will destroy the planet. :glare: So there are people against building it.
I asked A~ what the probability was, and he said something like, "It's about one chance in one to the negative 40." I asked what that looked like. He stared off into the distance for a few seconds, then said something to the effect of, "It's has about one chance in 40 million billion, billion, billion of happening." I chuckled and said we bet our lives every day on greater probabilities (for example, of being killed in a car--not motorcycle :no2: --accident). So we left it that they should build it because it would be cool, and that the folks against it should play the lottery, because they'll feel they have a good chance of winning.
And speaking of physics and Berkeley, it seems Steven Hawking spoke to two paying, sold-out crowds on campus this week. But what was cool was that A~ got to attend the private presentation he made only to students and faculty in physics and astronomy. Although A~ didn't get to meet Hawking, he said he was almost run over by him as he was leaving Le Conte Hall after the presentation. My son commented, "He moves pretty fast in that wheel chair!"
To listen to the public presentation, go here.
Then A~ tells me about a similar situation of a potential catastrophic outcome with this new super-colider they're building. Apparently it will certainly create mini singularities (black holes). Those won't be a problem. But there's also a possibility, albeit a very small one, that it might create a black hole that will destroy the planet. :glare: So there are people against building it.
I asked A~ what the probability was, and he said something like, "It's about one chance in one to the negative 40." I asked what that looked like. He stared off into the distance for a few seconds, then said something to the effect of, "It's has about one chance in 40 million billion, billion, billion of happening." I chuckled and said we bet our lives every day on greater probabilities (for example, of being killed in a car--not motorcycle :no2: --accident). So we left it that they should build it because it would be cool, and that the folks against it should play the lottery, because they'll feel they have a good chance of winning.
And speaking of physics and Berkeley, it seems Steven Hawking spoke to two paying, sold-out crowds on campus this week. But what was cool was that A~ got to attend the private presentation he made only to students and faculty in physics and astronomy. Although A~ didn't get to meet Hawking, he said he was almost run over by him as he was leaving Le Conte Hall after the presentation. My son commented, "He moves pretty fast in that wheel chair!"
To listen to the public presentation, go here.
Last edited by a moderator:
![fjackets Real Lambskin Leather Biker Jacket — Quilted Cafe Racer Zip Up Moto Leather Jackets For Men | [1100085] Johnson Brown, XL](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41I7Pm1f+vL._SL500_.jpg)
