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Originally Posted by Eratosthenes
Particles physicists are a funny breed - they seem to have moved away from basic science into the realm of abstract mathematical junk and metaphysics - their ignorance of reality can only be matched by the size of the detectors they want the tax payer to pay for.......
...........Reductionist madness feeding the lunatic Physics fringe market  |
What a nonsensical post given you don't seem to express such concerns with the discovery of the pentaquark.
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..this is massive news for particle physicists and the Standard Model.
I notice that the researchers are quoting a 9σ level of confidence in their findings and data - much higher than the minimum 5σ level demanded in Particle Physics collision experiments (the recent Higgs Boson discovery was at a confidence level of 5σ)
5σ = 99.99994%
9 sigma levels has a lot of 9's
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I always find it amusing that terms such as "abstract mathematical junk" are generally posited by individuals who do not even have the vaguest comprehension of the subject.
One of the unique features of particle physics is that this "abstract mathematical junk" can lead to
the development of the experiment and ultimately the particle accelerator and detector designs required to find the particle that the mathematics predicts.
The Higgs boson provides an excellent example. The "abstract mathematical junk" is now taught at post graduate physics and applied mathematics levels. In 1964 when this "junk" was first revealed to the scientific world there was very little understanding as to how the Higgs boson could be "synthesized". The experimental physics ultimately developed from this "junk" which in turn led to the LHC and the subsequent discovery of the Higgs.
Strange how this "abstract mathematical junk" has led to the discovery of a particle which is a very real event.