DarthKoopa Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 http://www.nature.com/news/quark-quartet-opens-fresh-vista-on-matter-1.13225 Im not quite sure what any of this means. This is beyond what I have learned about science so far. Dies anyone have any thoughts on this? What exactly does it mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I know exactly what it means. It means that scientists have discovered the particle responsible for the formation of what we've come to know as the Gallon. Arguably, we've always known that 4 quarks make a gallon. But modern science has simply given us a little more simplification on the subject. I'm so fuckin' smart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthKoopa Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 I know exactly what it means. It means that scientists have discovered the particle responsible for the formation of what we've come to know as the Gallon. Arguably, we've always known that 4 quarks make a gallon. But modern science has simply given us a little more simplification on the subject. I'm so fuckin' smart... :/ thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VacuumFlux Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 It means particle physics like shiny new exciting things. Finding stuff you already know about and expect to see is boring. It means that being the person to prove there really was a new type of particle observed gets fame and speaking engagements and tenure. It means that people who have claimed to have found tetraquarks in the past were... overzealous, and now physicists are very suspicious about new claims. I suppose you really meant "what does this change about our understanding of science". Not all that much, really. It's still Standard Model physics, merely with the particles in an arrangment we weren't sure was possible. It will give us more precise details on what those particles are like, though. So it's more about refining existing knowledge than opening up an entire new area of study. It's particularly useful for understanding how matter worked closer to the big bang; currently, for the first brief moments of our universe's existence, our laws of physics do not work. It's not that the universe's laws are inconsistent, it's just that our current understanding only works at "low" energies, the same way a flat map is sufficient over a small enough piece of the round earth's surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeCycle Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I think it means the theory of relativity is bunk. I KNEW IT!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skepticalme Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 If true, it means they may have discovered a new type of matter. The protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei are each composed of only three quarks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts