What is the probability that the Large Hadron Collider to destroy our planet? And would you take this risk?

Question

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/2650665/Legal-bid-to-stop-CERN-atom-smasher-from-destroying-the-world.html

The world's biggest and most expensive scientific experiment has been hit by a last minute legal challenge, amid claims that the research could bring about the end of the world.

Answer 1

Claims like this are ridiculous. Either the world is destroyed, or nothing will happen. Either way, there will be nothing to complain about. Sit back and enjoy the fireworks, I say.

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No, I would not take the risk, because I do not have the billions of dollars to build a collider of this size.

Answer 2

There is a 0% chance that the Large Hadron Collider will destroy the world. Before CERN actually built the thing, they checked with many many particle physics scientists, and they all agree - "nope, black hole is not gonna happen."

You MUST understand that to create a black hole, you need COLOSSAL amounts of energy (as in a huge star collapsing on itself). A machine that collides two particles each having the energy of a mosquito in flight will not create a black hole according to Einstein's well-established theory of relativity. According to some THEORIES, MICRO black holes may be formed. All theories predict that if they are formed, they will be so small that they could not even suck up a proton. They would exist for a nano-nano-nanosecond before disappearing.

In order for the LHC to destroy the Earth, we would have to be wrong about many, many, many things and yet be right about the micro black hole theories.

Answer 3

See "Creating a New Universe" in the link which states that it may take only one ounce of false vacuum to create a new universe.  Alan Guth devised the now popular 'inflation' theory for the origin of the universe.  I hope he has no reservations about the experiment.

Answer 4

Maybe or maybe not.

Answer 5

The LHC smashes little bits of stuff together.  However, cosmic rays do the same thing, only at higher energies.  So if the LHC can create black holes, they must be safe, as cosmic rays have been hitting the Earth since it formed. As you read this, some have passed through your body.

So the chances of the LHC causing any noticeable destruction is zero.

Who is this Jonas... wait a minute, i'm pretty sure i don't care.

Answer 6

The collisions the LHC is going to cause are the same as the ones that happen between cosmic rays in our atmosphere every single day.  So I'm pretty confident that they could leave the thing on for four and a half billion years and we'd still be alright.

Answer 7

http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_r...

http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_r...

Please stop asking a stupid question that has been asked hundreds of times before.

No matter how stupid the question is, asking it hundreds of times does not make it valid.

Try talking to your parents more often.

Answer 8

the chances are zero.

the legal challenge is idiotic. their main person is a chemist, not even a physicist. give me a break!

Answer 9

There is a better chance of the Jonas Brothers actually singing well, Miley Cyrus having an IQ above that of a raisin, and me getting struck by lightening on top of Stephan Hawking's house while holding 10 winning lottery tickets in my hand while IM-ing my dog from my Blackberry all while doing a handstand and singing in front of the government while simultaneously watching "My Little Pony".

There is an equal chance of Nibiru crashing into Earth in 2012, wild radioactive squirl monkeys invading Earth and stealing out tin foil hats, the sun blowing up from 5 minutes of reading this (but only if you post this on 5 other answers and press "F5").

So.... NO! The LHC has a ***0%*** chance of doing any damage to the Earth.

Unless you get trapped in the LHC... but you can't file a lawsuit for being stupid.

Although after looking at this lawsuit I guess I stand corrected. You can sue other people because you, yourself are an ignorant stupid nicompoop who missed physics class. Maybe they should've gotten a degree in physics instead of law like the thousands of scientists running the experiment!

Lets see... how many lawyer jokes can you think of, right off the top of your head?

How many particle physicist and astrophysicist jokes can you think of right off your head?

I rest my case.

Once these lawyers have college degrees in astrophysics, or particle physics, then maybe we should listen to them.

The LHC destroying Earth defies all laws of physics.

By the way: Ignore "Stardustspex (NOT Stardustspeck) and Fabulous Calvius (NOT Clavius)... they are just trolls. They were the ones that gave me 3 thumbs down...

Answer 10

Given that cosmic rays impacting the Earth's atmosphere have been creating the same energy levels for eons, and that the Earth is nevertheless still very much here, the chances of the LHC destroying the world are very, very small, virtually nonexistent. And yes, I would be willing to take this particular risk in order to hopefully find out more about parallel universes and/or the Higgs boson.

Answer 11

I don't think the Large Hadron Collidor will destroy our planet.  I would take the risk in order to find out what would happen if it's turned on.