Doomsday! No joke!
So, my friend Chan is currently attending University of Michigan to get his PHD in Physics, (I'm sure it's a more in depth title, but close enough). Anyway, he and I routinely have conversations about whats happening in the physics world; I read or find out something interesting, throw it by him and see what he says. I try, or at least pretend, to be slightly informed about the field... mostly because it interests me. Of course, it's nothing like Chan's understanding of it. I figure it's good cocktail party conversation: "Hear about how scientists might destroy the earth with a black hole?" "No, what?" "Yeah, not a huge chance but could happen...hows your drink?" Something like that. Also, I figure if I ever become a science teacher it will be good to have some knowledge of current events. Anyway, it always ends up being slightly entertaining to me and I'm almost positive it is to Chan.Below is one of our recent conversations about the link I sent him:
Todd: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/27/823924.aspx
Chan: you know how they decide if it's going to destroy the earth?
Chan: because it does come up in scientific meetings
Chan: first, they take the theories currently accepted and calculate the chance that it will produce a black hole that will destroy the Earth
Chan: (hint: it's not zero)
Todd: Yeah figured, great!
Chan: then, they compare that to the chance that an asteroid will crash into the Earth and destroy it, and if chance of black hole is less than the chance of asteroid then they go ahead :-)
Todd: Oh cool, I'm going to go buy a bomb shelter and a telescope, glad they are so technical about the decision
Chan: neither of those will help you
Chan: you will just exist, then not exist
Chan: you'll never know
Todd: Oh, well then, no problem, I'll sleep well tonight, thanks buddy, better get back to that laser hotter then the sun
Chan: will do, later!
And if you wondering about the laser, check out his blog here. The last post is about the laser he is currently working on. He hasn't posted in a while but I'm assuming it's cause he is too busy burning holes in soda cans.
Good Luck!
Labels: Doomsday, Hadron Collider, Physics
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posted by Todd Johnson @ 3:24 PM
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