Large Hadron Collider

[Eastender]

Could this have caused the Icelandic volcano to errupt? or even be the cause for the weather we are having???

[Azalian]

Err, no.

[joggerjayne]

Yes.

[joggerjayne]

Okay, No ... not really.

[jake-the-peg]

Yes, none of them very credible

This may surprise a lot of people but the energy of the particles colliding at cern is less than that of a buzzing mosquito.

People talk awe struck about Terra-electron volt energies

1 Tev is 0.00000008 Calories

it's just focussed on subatomic particles that are really really small

[beso]

It depends on your perspective Jake.

Whle the energies of each collision are small by usual scale the total energy of the beam is impressive.

At full power the total energy carried by the two beams will reache 724 MJ. This is equivalent to the detonation energy of 173 kilograms (380 lb) of TNT, and could be compared to the kinetic energy of a TGV (French high-speed train) running at 222 km/h (139 mph).

Under nominal operating conditions (2808 bunches per beam, 1.15×10^11 protons per bunch), the beam pipes contain one nanogram (1.0×10-9 grams) of hydrogen, which, at standard temperature and pressure, would fill the volume of one grain of fine sand.

That is incredibly focussed energy by any standard.

[jake-the-peg]

It is highly focussed but the total energy's not that much

380lbs of TNT is small, open cast mines often use charges of about 4 tonnes. Day in day out.

Interesting to see it in Calories though - a kilo of TNT is about your recommended calories for a year

Of course the energy Cern uses in pumps and magnets and instrumentation and computers is monumental - 180 MW

Still they use French electricity which being mostly nuclear gives it a carbon footprint 1/5 of what it would be if it were in the UK

[R1Geezer]

yes this isthe hidden cause of Volcanoes. Also did you know that Earth quakes are cause by ladies not wearing much?

[rojash]

...and rain is caused by rockets punching holes in the sky

[badhorsey]

...and thunderstorms are caused by the accumulated friction of romping kittens. Basic physics.

[boxtops]

Badhorsey that is brilliant, I like that one.

[Eastender]

Thanks for the sensible answers (you know who you are). As for the others why dont you go to the Jokes section, because that's where your intelligence lays dullards.

[Laborintus]

No no no no no.
No.