What If the North Pole Were Contained Within the LHC at CERN?

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter chrisdosnags
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Lhc North pole Pole
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the hypothetical scenario of containing the North Pole within the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, focusing on the implications for particle physics, time travel, and the feasibility of such a project. Participants engage with concepts related to the speed of particles, Earth's rotation, and the nature of time as understood in physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that if the LHC could be set up to make particles move in the opposite direction to Earth's rotation, they could theoretically move 604,800 times faster than the Earth's rotation.
  • Another participant challenges the claim about the speed of particles in the LHC, questioning the feasibility of completing 7 loops per second and suggesting that this is a misunderstanding of basic physics.
  • Concerns are raised about the relevance of Earth's magnetic field in the context of particle acceleration in the LHC, with one participant stating that the magnetic field is too weak to have any significant effect.
  • Time travel is discussed, with one participant referencing popular culture (Superman) to highlight misconceptions about time travel and the nature of time zones.
  • Humor is introduced with a light-hearted comment about spinning at the North Pole to go back in time, reflecting a playful engagement with the topic.
  • Another participant defends the original poster, suggesting that confusion about physics concepts is common and that forums serve to educate those less versed in the subject.
  • There is a call for a solid understanding of basic physics before delving into speculative ideas, emphasizing the importance of foundational knowledge.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement on the feasibility and implications of the original scenario, with some challenging the physics presented and others defending the need for exploration of such ideas. No consensus is reached regarding the validity of the claims made.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding basic physics concepts, which may affect the discussion of more speculative ideas. There is a recognition that foundational knowledge is crucial for engaging with advanced topics.

chrisdosnags
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
what would happen if the north pole was contained within the loop of the lhc at cern?

the lhc at maximum speed can make a particle complete 7 loops in a second. the Earth rotates once every 24 hours. if the lhc was set up so the particle was made to move in the opposite direction to the Earth's rotation, you could get the particle to move 604,800 times faster than the Earth's rotation and in the opposite direction to the Earth's rotation.

Newton said we couldn't travel back in time, but maybe at a certain frequency it is possible to make a particle travel back in time.

the cost to build the lhc at the north pole would be astronomical but the possibilties of new discoveries could be phenomenal.

any thoughts welcome
 
Physics news on Phys.org
chrisdosnags said:
what would happen if the north pole was contained within the loop of the lhc at cern?

the lhc at maximum speed can make a particle complete 7 loops in a second. the Earth rotates once every 24 hours. if the lhc was set up so the particle was made to move in the opposite direction to the Earth's rotation, you could get the particle to move 604,800 times faster than the Earth's rotation and in the opposite direction to the Earth's rotation.

Newton said we couldn't travel back in time, but maybe at a certain frequency it is possible to make a particle travel back in time.

the cost to build the lhc at the north pole would be astronomical but the possibilties of new discoveries could be phenomenal.

any thoughts welcome

Er... whaaaaa? Where do you get such "information"?

The LHC makes particle complete 7 loops in a second? How SLOW can this be? Do a quick, simple basic physics. Something moving at essentially c, moving around a circumference of say 27 km. How long do you think that will take to make a complete loop? 1/7 of a second? Seriously?!

And what's with the Earth's magnetic field being a concerned here? It is so weak, it play zero part in all of this. Note that what is being accelerated are protons, and not just ONE single protons. There are more powerful magnets being used (a gazillion times more powerful than the Earth's field) simply to counter space-charge effects that want to blow out each of the proton bunches. So how would a puny Earth's field be of any use?

Zz.
 
If I may add to Zz's incredulity, that method of "Time travel" is based on a superman comic, if I recall correctly. The international date line and time zones on Earth are human methods to make long-distance travel easier to timetable, crossing one does not actually change what time it is. You could spin around the Earth as many times as you wanted to, but no "Time travel" would occur.
 
Superman did it, but he wasn't a very good physicist.
 
Yay if you stand on the north pole and spin on your feet you can go back in time as long as you need less than a day for a revolution.:smile:

Now I just need to think what weekday I want to spend the rest of my life in.
 
Aww come on guys that's not very nice. Chris probably confused the number of laps a particle can make around the LHC with the number of laps a particle moving at almost the speed of light can make around the Earth.

And obviously he's not well versed in the concept of time, which is understandable. I mean isn't that one of the reasons for these forums? To help out those who don't know much about physics? :smile:
 
sollinton said:
Aww come on guys that's not very nice. Chris probably confused the number of laps a particle can make around the LHC with the number of laps a particle moving at almost the speed of light can make around the Earth.

And obviously he's not well versed in the concept of time, which is understandable. I mean isn't that one of the reasons for these forums? To help out those who don't know much about physics? :smile:

Of course. If the question was to ask about basic physics, there's plenty of help. However, if shaky physics is being used to somehow extrapolate into some speculative ideas, then that's a different matter entirely.

Many members here are often advised to try to learn and establish their understanding of basic physics. In fact, this is something they'll learn very quickly after a few posts. They also learn that they'll better get the foundation right in the first place before trying to build something on top of it. That, in itself, in a valuable lesson to be learned in this forum.

Zz.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
5K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
998
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 69 ·
3
Replies
69
Views
15K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
7K
  • · Replies 30 ·
2
Replies
30
Views
9K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K