CERN - particle physics and the World Wide Web
If you are of a scientific frame of mind then you may well have heard of CERN, which is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and is the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. CERN lies on the border between France and Switzerland, just northwest of Geneva. If particle physics is not quite your thing, then you may also be interested to know that it was at CERN that the World Wide Web was born – now that does make it a place worth visiting!
The latest exciting venture taking place at CERN is the building of something called the Large Hadron Collider, which is major scientific project involving worldwide collaboration, and involves a circular tunnel, 27 kilometres in circumference, located one hundred metres underground, in the region between Geneva airport and the nearby Jura Mountains. Physics experiments using this are expected to start in May 2008.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to be a physics anorak to visit CERN – the place attracts more than 25,000 visitors a year. Also, visiting CERN is not going to cost you anything, as guided tours are entirely free of charge. The only thing that you have to do is make a reservation.
A visit lasts about half a day, and includes an introductory talk, a film, and a visit to one of those cool experimental areas.
A visit to CERN can also be combined with a visit to the lovely city of Geneva.
So, if you happen to be passing through that part of Europe, why not take a look at what is going on in the world of particle physics?
Filed under: Switzerland, France
