Particle Physics - In Search of Giants
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 8:16:14 PM
Episode 1 of In Search of Giants: In this episode we learn that the Greeks knew about atoms and how Mendeleyev's periodic table was among the first clues that the atom had a deeper structure.
In this episode we learn how J.J. Thomson discovered the fist subatomic particle - the electron.
In this episode we learn how Ernest Rutherford conducted a historical experiment that revealed that most of the mass of an atom is concentrated in a tiny nucleus made of protons and neutrons.
In this episode we learn how Murray Gell-Mann predicted the existence of quarks.
In this episode we learn how particle physicists have developed a theory that can explain almost everything in the universe in terms of just 12 particles.
In this episode we learn how forces are the instruments of change in the universe.
In this episode we learn about the role gravity and electromagnetism play in how things work.
In this episode we learn how Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell showed that electricity and magnetism are two facets of the same thing.
In this episode we learn how the string and weak nuclear forces were discovered.
In this episode we learn why scientists are hoping that, one day, they will have a single theory that describes all the forces that govern the universe.
In this episode we learn how Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect was one of the first steps towards a quantum mechanical view of the universe. Brian and other scientists explain some of the strange implications of living in a quantum world.
In this episode we find out about Quantum Electrodynamics, one of the most succesful theories in the history of science, and how it led to the idea of "force-carrying" particles.
In this episode we learn how particle accelerators can be used to make new particles. We also see Brian bring to life a famous analogy for the Higgs mechanism.
In this episode we learn about the Large Hadron Collider - the biggest, most complicated scientific instrument ever built.
In this episode, Brian and other scientists tell us what they hope the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will reveal about the way the universe works.
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