How does an atom-smashing particle accelerator work? - Don Lincoln
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An atom smasher, or particle accelerator, collides atomic nuclei together at extremely high energies, using engineering that exploits incredibly cold temperatures, very low air pressure, and hyperbolically fast speeds. Don Lincoln explains how scientists harness the power of both electric and magnetic fields to smash atoms, eventually leading to major discoveries about the matter in our universe.
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Additional Resources for you to Explore
You can never know too much, so here is more about:
· Particle accelerators (written by the TED-Ed educator), the book The Quantum Frontier: From Quarks to the Cosmos
· Particle accelerators (written by the TED-Ed educator), the book Understanding the Universe: From Quarks to the Cosmos
· Particle accelerators: http://www.particleadventure.org/accel.html
http://www.theguardian.com/science/life-and-physics/2010/sep/06/peter-higgs-boson
http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/~djm/higgsa.html
http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/~djm/
· Particle accelerators (written by the TED-Ed educator), the book The Quantum Frontier: From Quarks to the Cosmos
· Particle accelerators (written by the TED-Ed educator), the book Understanding the Universe: From Quarks to the Cosmos
· Particle accelerators: http://www.particleadventure.org/accel.html
http://www.theguardian.com/science/life-and-physics/2010/sep/06/peter-higgs-boson
http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/~djm/higgsa.html
http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/~djm/

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What technologies must be improved to make smaller accelerators?
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