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c9So experiments at CERN appear to have shown subatomic particles traveling faster than the speed of light. This is exciting and annoying.
Exciting because it potentially blasts apart the theory of relativity and means a major rethink of physics is required -- this is a normal part of science and means we are getting better at knowing our universe. Don't panic.
The CERN researchers are now looking to the United States and Japan to confirm the results.
I've always found the speed-of-light barrier annoying. I understand the physics (short version: to go that fast you'd have to expend infinite energy) but I've always thought about it in the "just keep accelerating" way. They used to think the sound barrier was a big deal, and now you break that going to work. Not really.
One nice thing is that we already know the answer to all this. Since Arthur C Clarke is from the future, if faster-than-light travel were possible he'd have included it in his books. So no worries.
Exciting because it potentially blasts apart the theory of relativity and means a major rethink of physics is required -- this is a normal part of science and means we are getting better at knowing our universe. Don't panic.
CERN says a neutrino beam fired from a particle accelerator near Geneva to a lab 454 miles (730 kilometers) away in Italy traveled 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. Scientists calculated the margin of error at just 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant. But given the enormity of the find, they still spent months checking and rechecking their results to make sure there was no flaws in the experiment.
The CERN researchers are now looking to the United States and Japan to confirm the results.
I've always found the speed-of-light barrier annoying. I understand the physics (short version: to go that fast you'd have to expend infinite energy) but I've always thought about it in the "just keep accelerating" way. They used to think the sound barrier was a big deal, and now you break that going to work. Not really.
One nice thing is that we already know the answer to all this. Since Arthur C Clarke is from the future, if faster-than-light travel were possible he'd have included it in his books. So no worries.
