If so can anyone here explain it so I understand?

[size=50(slowly and using short words please)[/size

It'd be like finding God.

They want to know how MASS is created, trying to recreate a scaled down version of the big bang (when they think mass was first created) to see if it answer their questions.

Except for the fact that the Higgs Bosun is unlikely to condemn you to an eternity of torment in a lake of fire for not believing in it.

There was a particle physicist explaining it on 5 live today and the public response included on guy who said 'your wrong, god created everything, get over it'

How did we ever get out of caves !!!

I found it a bit more understandable when someone explained that the universe is full of 'stuff' some has mass and some doesn't and this 'thingymagig' is what determines 'stuff' that has mass.

Apparently, if it doesn't exist, you have all failed your maths O levels/GCSE's etc as science has got it wrong from the off.

Are you sure?

The worst you'll get from a bosun is the opportunity to discover the golden rivet

The Higgs is overrated in the media. But basically one theory is that, when it comes down to the most fundamental particles, this is the one that makes all particles "weigh" something, i.e. have mass. Find a way to extract Higgs Bosons from the rest of the particles, and you could for example get a "weightless" spacecraft, and empty Weighchers meetings halls.

So somewhere, within each of us, we have the Higgs Boson?

Yes, like The Force.

If it exists

Look [url=http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/cern/ideas/cartoon.htmlHERE[/url

If it exists, then every particle in the Universe that has mass contains one.

Still not certain that it exists, mind.

theexploratorium from whose site that cartoon is taken is well worth a visit if your ever in sf

Well, a 70 kg person is made up of approximately 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms. Each contains numerous Higgs bosons (if they exist) so you could say you don't have one, you have several.

Preferring this explanation so far...

but comprehension is improving. Cheers!

My understanding (I read a few articles a while back so I may miss some details) is that the 'Higgs field' permeates all space and interacts with some particles whilst others pass through without any interaction taking place. Particles without mass are massless because they don't interact with the Higgs. Particles with mass have it because they do interact and in effect are slowed down by the Higgs field, its this slowing down that gives the mass to the particle (am I right in thinking that massless particles travel at light speed by definition?). Maybe a good analogy is a massless particle whizzing along at the speed of light, then interacting with the Higgs and it being like a treacle that has the effect of slowing down the particle.

There are a few things that don't quite fit in my mind, but thats probably down to me not having a full understanding, in fact I suppose nobody really understands fully, so I don't feel too bad. The Higgs must have appeared at the same point as the big bang or very very soon afterwards, otherwise surely the particles it gives mass too would be too far away for it to interact, they'd be 182,000 or so miles away in a second if they move at light speed. I think im going to confuse myself soon so ill stop typing now.

By your figures it might be 4,000 miles ahead waiting in ambush at the end of that second.

I couldn't remember if it was 186,000ish or 182,000ish, decided just to guess. ah well

=#FF0000Yes, for example, Photons.

=#0000FFThe Higgs Boson will have been formed after the big bang as the universe cooled

I reckon the Higgs Boson surrounds most bars when I'm out with my mates.

As we approach, all of those with heavy wallets get mysteriously slowed, whereas those of us with light wallets slip straight through.

Which is why their wallets stay full of mass and mine is virtually massless. My money seems to travel at the speed of light anyway.