Sunday, September 21, 2008

Juggling with spitballs

A week ago the New York Times had an article about what the LHC was
hoped to demonstrate. (The article is entitled something about the
origins of the universe, by Brian Greene). One of the paragraphs was
about the Higgs particle. Greene's discussion said that the discovery
of the Higgs particle would be evidence about a field that acted as
molasses, and as particles went through it, their resistance explained
the phenomenon of mass. Okay, I need to read it again, since it was
the first explanation that made any sense to me of the so-called god
particle.

But it is not premature to point out something---the scientists are
trying to explain "mass." I find this interesting since mass is
something self evident to all. Not that it does not need to be
explained, but (assuming that the E in E=MC small 2 is thought, ) what
needs to be explained is, pressingly, not mass, but thought, energy.

Yes I am taking some liberties---mass is thinginess, energy is
thought. It is just a game after all.