The CERN atomsmasher and black holes

I think it's theoretically possible that it could create sub-microscopic black holes which would spontaneously evaporate (almost instantly). I think that's what I heard. But I don't know if I'm remembering it right (or in detail).

But none of the scientists seriously thinks that any durable black holes will be created which are of any danger to the Earth. But I suppose they don't know for certain, any more than the guys who detonated the first atomic bomb were certain that the first explosion wouldn't start a chain reaction which would incinerate the entire planet.

Yes, that's what I heard also. The best thinking is that incredibly tiny black holes could, indeed, be created but their duration would be so short as to pose no danger to any matter nearby.

it is currently smashing at 1/2 the speed intended....maybe the bad stufff does not happen till later...

what's the negative side of black holes?

It's an alternate dimension from the positive side.

Yes, well it's supposed to have a scheduled stop in 2012, and after that it will double the energy of the colliding particles. Was it tetraelektronvolts? Up from 7 to 14.
So if they do end up wiping out the world in 2012 we atleast have to give it to them for timing, 2012 being the propesized end of the world and all...

It is common for year one physics students to be given the problem of working out the mass required to make a black hole the size of a basketball...it would require the energy of the sun. Thanks to Hawkings (the wheel chair guy with the retro robot voice) we know black holes very slowly radiate energy relative to their size. To be stable and not turn into a very big bang requires a great deal of initial mass. The size that might (read very unlikely) be created in the particle blender at Cern would be small by atomic standards and would exist for the smallest amount of time. Even our sun collpasing in on itself would not have the mass to create a stable black hole.

It's Hawking (there is no 's' at the end of his name. Why does every so called 'expert' get this elementary thing wrong?

If you want to be my spell checker you are going to have to stand at the end of a very long line. It is interesting you think someone cant know what they are talking about if they type hurriedly. Obviously one has to type slowly because you can only read slowly. Perhaps you would be so kind as to pint out where I said I was an "expert" ?

http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHc/Safety-en.html

This site also has a link to the LHC Safety Assesment Group's report on the risks of the experiments.

Oh my god, those people are wearing hard-hats. They must know something's about to explode. We're doomed.

Well, I got a hard hat, so I guess I'm safe as long as someone lets me know when to put it on.

I'm wearing mine over my groin.

I think that's called thinking ahead...

Higher energy cosmic rays hit the Earth every day than the LHC can produce. Black holes, or minature black holes could theoretically be down to the Planck level of size and mass. But very small black holes evapourate quickly - and may be strongly effected by very small (hidden) dimensions in space time theoretically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_black_hole

Not sure what the real minimum size for a black hole that can last beyond a pico second is - guess its around the 10 ^ 35 kg level - but its still a major guess. If you could compress the Earth somehow to the size of a golfball you'd have a black hole.