<p>My D’s best friend from high school was here last night. Her dad runs the particle accelerator at Brookhaven National Labs. She was quite emphatic that he is not yet convinced by the evidence, though he did concede that “evidence is mounting” in support of the Higgs Boson.</p>
<p>We can quite a lively talk. Her discussion focussed on the relationship between between the Higgs Boson and string theory, since the supersymmetry (SUSY) requirement of string theory is supported by the Higgs Boson, so if this indeed proves to be the breakthrough we hope it is, it will be a step forward for string theory.</p>
<p>She is heading off to U of Chicago for a masters and possibly a PhD. in the History of Science and does educational programming for a little science museum.</p>
<p>We had a lively talk. Also included child rearing practices, fashion, gossip and other stimulating topics. (LOL.) D and S were also present.</p>
<p>Not that I really understand any of it, but I personally don’t like string theory with all the messy multiple dimensions it predicts. It’s all just so complicated and ugly. It seems like when science uncovers some fundamental law of nature it almost always turns out to be both beautiful and surprisingly simple. String theory is anything but. </p>
<p>Plus string theory provides no way for it to be tested via experimentation, which would normally relegate it to the world of philosophy instead of science, since ideas that cannot be tested are, by definition, not part of science. But a lot of very smart theoretical physicists agree that it’s the best thing we’ve got going today to explain all the physical forces in a single theory.</p>
<p>I understand this God particle business, but I still can’t figure out how to pour sugar from the bag into a sugar bowl without spilling some sugar on my kitchen counter and floor no matter how careful I am.</p>
<p>hello. i am looking for an explanation of how the god particle helps the standard model. that is, if not the god particle, what would go wrong with it? in layman’s terms of course. i’m hoping that’s possible. help, please?</p>