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发表于 2011-12-16 15:53:07
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本帖最后由 zdenny0001 于 2011-12-16 15:54 编辑
VOX POPULI: Pondering origin of universe over 2 pork buns
Many people will identify with the following senryu satirical poem: "The scariest ride in the world/ The bathroom scale." I found it in a senryu collection titled "Onna no Issho" (A woman's life), published by Mainichi Shimbun. It was the first thing that crossed my mind when I learned about the Higgs boson.
I read an article about the elementary particle in the vernacular Asahi Shimbun on Dec. 14 three times. When the universe emerged with the Big Bang, I understand that elementary particles from which all things are made had no mass. Then the Higgs boson, a hypothetical massive particle, acted upon other elementary particles, enabling them to acquire mass. In other words, without this particle, no stars, no planets, no anything would exist in the universe, according to scientists. Hence the nickname, "God particle."
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is said to have confirmed signs that the mystery particle actually exists. At present, the probability of existence is 98.9 percent. Since a probability of 99.9999 percent is needed for findings to be officially recognized as a discovery, it is beyond my shoddy imagination.
The existence of the Higgs boson was theorized by British physicist Peter Higgs during the 1960s. If proven, the achievement is said to merit a Nobel Prize. More than 500 billion yen ($6.41 billion) has been spent on research to prove the theory hailed as the great prophecy of physics.
Some people may say it is a waste of money. But I remember the following comment by physicist and writer Torahiko Terada (1878-1935): "After all, science is not something that kills wonders, but creates them." The work to create wonders and solve them is a hallmark of humanity.
No matter how scary bathroom scales are, without the Higgs boson, we would not exist. Let me quote another senryu from the aforementioned collection: "Whatever happens, happens/ I eat two pork buns." How dear the human body is. It is full of wonders that lead to the beginning of the grand universe.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 15 |
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