Large Hadron Collider, The: Short Documentaries

Synopsis

A series of eight short documentaries licensed to Vega from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, highlighting research work being carried out at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, including hunting for the Higgs and research on the Big Bang and Anti-Matter. Individual parts are 1) BIG BANG - written, produced and directed by Alom Shaha and sponsored by the STFC in this short film Dr Brian Cox takes us on a tour of the Large Hadron Collider where the conditions moments after the Big Bang are to be recreated; 2) HUNTING FOR HIGGS - explains why the Large Hadron Collider was built and what scientists are using the collider to look for; 3) SIZING THINGS UP - Dr Tara Shears explains that one of Science’s greatest achievements is to have accurately measured everything from the width of the universe to the diameter of a quark. This film features an animated zoom in from the universe to the heart of a hydrogen atom and reveals how things at both ends of the scale are connected by their common origin in the Big Bang; 4) THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF MATTER - Dr Brian Cox takes us on a scientific journey from the discovery of the electron and the birth of particle physics, via the discovery of quarks, to the building of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN; 5) THE FORCES OF NATURE - Particle Physicist Brian Cox talks us through the history of our scientific understanding, revealing why scientists have come to believe that everything that happens in the universe can be explained in terms of just three forces. He explores the unification of electricity and magnetism, and the discovery of the strong and weak nuclear forces. He also explains more about the Large Hadron Collider experiment at CERN, which may help scientists come up with a single "theory of everything"; 6) THE HUNT FOR THE HIGGS - Particle physicist Brian Cox explains how quantum mechanics has changed the way that we think the world works and why it predicts the existence of a particle that has never been seen. The Higgs boson is a mysterious particle that explains why things have mass. Brian Cox reveals how the Large Hadron Collider experiment at CERN is intended to smash particles together so violently that the Higgs boson can be detected and studied for the first time; 7) THE MATTER WITH ANTIMATTER - If equal amounts of matter and anitmatter were created at the birth of the universe then why does our universe seem to be made almost entirely from matter? In this film Dr Tara Shears tells us how this mystery could be explained by the Large Hadron Collider experiment; 8) THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MASS - Dr Tara Shears explains why scientists are convinced that Dark Matter exists and how a new experiment called the Large Hadron Collider might finally tell us exactly what this mysterious missing mass is made of.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2008

Year of production

2008

Subjects

Astronomy; Physics

Keywords

CERN; cosmology; particle physics; physics experiments; Large Hadron Collider; Higgs boson

Online availability

URI

http://vega.org.uk/video/subseries/43

Price

free

Delivery

Streamed

Credits

Director

Alom Shaha

Producer

Alom Shaha

Writer

Alom Shaha

Contributor

Brian Cox; Tara Shears

Sponsor

Name

Science & Technology Facilities Council

Distributor

Name

Vega Science Trust

Email

vega@vega.org.uk

Web

http://www.vega.org.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

01273 678 726

Address

Sussex Innovation Centre
Science Park Square
Brighton
BN1 9SB

Notes

Well-established maker and distributor of more than 200 programmes on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, many of which have been broadcast. Vega’s videos aim to give a fundamental understanding of principles of nature and the physical world. Outstanding scientists/communicators are directly involved with each video so that they can guide content of the programmes. Science is presented in a natural way as an intellectually challenging discipline and the videos fill the gap in TV coverage by presenting well-informed analyses on serious science-related ethical, economic, social, health and other issues. Separate series consist of interviews with eminent scientists, science video lectures, issues of current scientific concern, the Royal Institution Discourses, scientific masterclasses, and recent research projects. Programmes available for free viewing via the website and some also for sale on DVD.