Higgs British Science Legend Dies, R I P Peter

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68774195

I'm so pleased the higgs boson was verified while he was alive, what a visionary genius.

[tomus42]

Yes, it's good that he lived to see his idea proved right. There must be alot of scientists that don't experience that.

I'm fascinated by all that stuff but don't really understand it.

 

[Deskdiary]

I'm with Tomus.

 

I find this stuff fascinating even though I haven't the first clue what it means.

[Untitled]

what an achievement! RIP

[ClareTG0ld]

I'd be happy elsewhere to answer questions about "all that stuff", but I mainly wanted to join the tributes.

Although, having said that, I think Sir Peter would have been uncomfortable at the thought of them all. One of two anecdotes I will enjoy sharing for a while is when I went along to an event in 2013 celebrating his Prize. Various members of Edinburgh University, including friends and former students, paid glowing tribute to him and his work, etc etc.

Then, after the lengthy standing ovation, Peter himself spoke. Oh, it wasn't that special really: a few weeks' work; on a side project; actually I got the wrong idea anyway; others were doing it too; an idea waiting to happen; it's the guys who found it that deserve the real credit, etc.

I might exaggerate slightly, but, yes - I don't think Higgs was ever fully comfortable with all this praise; whether because he was right that it's an overhyped achievement, or more likely because he was ridiculously modest and self-effacing, I don't care to judge.

[piggynose]

The Higgs boson is the fundamental particle associated with the Higgs field, a field that gives mass to other fundamental particles such as electrons and quarks. A particle's mass determines how much it resists changing its speed or position when it encounters a force. Not all fundamental particles have mass.

Could ttt give us a much clearer explanation? or claretgoldfor that matter.