Speaker: James Wells (U-M Physics)
Scholars have struggled with the concept of mass since time immemorial. Prof. Wells will explain the usefulness of even speaking about "mass" and then describe how something so seemingly easy and intuitive can trip up the most brilliant minds upon closer scrutiny. He will describe the major leaps in understanding over the centuries, from the Ancients, to Newton, to Einstein, and to the discovery of the Higgs boson last year at CERN. The historical context will demonstrate why the Higgs boson discovery was such an extraordinary achievement in science, and how it opens up a host of deeper questions that physicists will struggle with for decades to come.
Scholars have struggled with the concept of mass since time immemorial. Prof. Wells will explain the usefulness of even speaking about "mass" and then describe how something so seemingly easy and intuitive can trip up the most brilliant minds upon closer scrutiny. He will describe the major leaps in understanding over the centuries, from the Ancients, to Newton, to Einstein, and to the discovery of the Higgs boson last year at CERN. The historical context will demonstrate why the Higgs boson discovery was such an extraordinary achievement in science, and how it opens up a host of deeper questions that physicists will struggle with for decades to come.