Explaining Particle Collision Picture to a Non-Physics Person

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter JanKo
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around explaining a particle collision picture to someone with limited physics knowledge. Participants explore the underlying physics concepts, such as the Lorentz force and the nature of particle collisions, while seeking clarity on the specifics of the depicted event.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes the importance of the Lorentz force, explaining that charged particles bend in circular paths within magnetic fields, with the bending direction indicating the particle's charge.
  • Another participant questions whether the picture represents a collision of just two atoms or multiple particles, suggesting that the event likely involves electron-positron or proton-proton collisions.
  • There is a mention of the possibility that the picture represents a single event with additional background and particle showers, indicating complex interactions beyond simple collisions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express uncertainty about the specifics of the collisions depicted in the picture, with differing interpretations regarding the number of particles involved and the nature of the collisions.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not fully resolve the details of the particle interactions or the implications of the observed phenomena, leaving some assumptions and definitions open to interpretation.

JanKo
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Hello!

I recently found a picture (Here's the link:http://doc.cern.ch//archive/electronic/cern/others/PHO/photo-ex/66954B.jpeg" ) that is just a beautiful example of particle collision.
Now I get the general idea of what this picture is representing, but what exactly is happening here?
I mean, how would you explain this picture to a person who knows very little about physics?
Because I tried to explain it to my mother (because she loves the shapes :rolleyes:) and figured out that I actually have very little idea what's going on.

I know they use liquid hydrogen to create these bubbles around the paths of particles but that's about it.

So, please explain this to a person who knows little about particle physics... I guess that's me. :approve:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
It is just the Lorentz force, you don't have to be expert on particle physics, just know a fundamental law from electromagnetism ;)

Charged particles in motion bends in circular paths when subjected to magnetic fields, where the radius of the trajectory is proportional to the momentum (mass and velocity) of the charged particle. Also the direction of the bending reflects the charge of the particle, a positive charged particle bends the opposite way as a negative charged.
 
Thanks malawi_glenn for the pat on the back :biggrin:

One more question!
Does this happen by just smashing two atoms? Or did they collide more than two in this picture?
Because it looks to me as if there were a lot more than two atoms smashed...
 
JanKo said:
Thanks malawi_glenn for the pat on the back :biggrin:

One more question!
Does this happen by just smashing two atoms? Or did they collide more than two in this picture?
Because it looks to me as if there were a lot more than two atoms smashed...

first of all, it is not atoms that they collide, in this picture it is probably electron - positron, or proton - proton collision.

And I think this picture can resemble one event, with background, showers (annihilation - creation) etc :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_shower
 

Similar threads

Undergrad What would a hypothetical quark-quark collision yield?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Undergrad Concentrated arcs in bubble chamber photos
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Thinking about a calendar epoch based on the field of physics
  • · Replies 49 ·
2
Replies
49
Views
6K
High School What Challenges Are Affecting Fermilab's Performance and the Fate of Its Bison?
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
5K
High School Are real theories undiscoverable from effective field theories?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
High School I've heard that particle physics is just like taxonomy and botany
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
High School Can Antiparticle Collisions Occur Without Charge Intervention?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
1K
High School When to think of PE as property of a system vs of a particle
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Nested universes across scales - existing literature?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Do particles actually have a volume?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K