Can Ping-Pong Balls Revolutionize Particle Acceleration?

  • Thread starter Thread starter LowlyPion
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Balls
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of ping-pong balls in particle acceleration, specifically referencing a 27 km accelerator. Participants explore the implications, logistics, and concerns surrounding this unconventional approach to particle physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions a 27 km ping-pong ball accelerator, suggesting it functions effectively.
  • Another expresses enthusiasm for the concept of using ping-pong balls.
  • Concerns are raised about the procurement of the ping-pong balls, speculating on the costs and the necessity of special orders from Germany to ensure quality.
  • A participant questions whether the accelerator's cooling systems were operational, highlighting potential risks if a ping-pong ball were to shatter during transit.
  • A humorous remark is made regarding the thread title, indicating a misunderstanding or concern about the topic's seriousness.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of curiosity and humor regarding the topic, but there is no clear consensus on the feasibility or implications of using ping-pong balls in particle acceleration.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the operational status of the accelerator and the specifics of the ping-pong balls' procurement remain unresolved.

Physics news on Phys.org
yay ping pong
 
I wonder how much they spent on those ping pong balls. You know they didn't just go to Wal-mart and buy a box of them. They had to special order them from Germany to make sure they have an equal ratio of ping to pong and that had to go through all sorts of red tape.
 
WarPhalange said:
I wonder how much they spent on those ping pong balls. You know they didn't just go to Wal-mart and buy a box of them. They had to special order them from Germany to make sure they have an equal ratio of ping to pong and that had to go through all sorts of red tape.

What was not clear to me was whether they had already turned the fridges on and the tubes were supercooled, which if a ping-pong ball were to shatter in transit would surely have been a rather large potential cleanup - larger than what they were testing to avoid.
 
Had me worried when I saw the title of your thread. Thought maybe you had taken a little trip to the border.
 

Similar threads

How Does a Ping Pong Ball Behave in Zero Gravity?
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
5K
High-Accuracy & High-Precision Launcher for Ping Pong Balls?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
6K
Ping-Pong Ball Submerged in Water and then Released
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
8K
Electrical DIY Particle Accelerator (with magnetic ball)
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K
Undergrad Ping Pong ball vs. golf ball and distance moved
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
28K
News Ancient particle accelerator discovered on Mars
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad LHC Restarts in 2022 - Live Updates
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K
Behaviour of a ping pong ball dropped in a can full of water.
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
6K
Launch a Ping Pong Ball with a Planar Bistable Mechanism: Step-by-Step Guide
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
5K
A ping-pong ball attached to a string in a jar of water
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
7K