Month: July 2015

Today was going to be another quiet day, but it did not turn out that way. First Mum and I went into town to buy some trousers. When we got home we had lunch and then left for Jacob’s place. When we arrived, Jacob and I went up to his room and played video games like Terraria, and War Band. We only stopped to go down for dinner and play with a ball. It was Jacob’s birthday so he got to choose dinner, so he choose burgers and lamb skewers, yum. Finally I got dropped off back home in time for bed and to see Dad.

After breakfast Mum and I went to have a swim, for half an hour. Then we went home and Harry came around and we played Terraria. Soon after that we went to see Ant Man. It was an interesting movie but there was a slight scientific problem. The bit I liked best was when they break into the very secure research building.

We then had lunch at TGI Friday’s and then went home and played more games with Harry. Finally we dropped Harry home, I was not feeling very well after popcorn and a big lunch so only had soup for dinner while Dad was in Paris having a french pub dinner.

Today was our first day back in Jersey and I did nothing interesting. I played games and watched Nanny McPhee and the big bang. Did a blog.

That sums up the day. We packed up the room and drove to a Buffalo Grill. After that we drove to the ferry and sat around. After a hour or two we finally got on the ferry. Next we drove off the ferry and on the way home we dropped off Mum at the supermarket so we could eat.

First we went to a chateau, Chateau Chambord and there you could get an ipad which if you scan a coin it shows you what it was like in the 16th century. In the chateau there was a double helix stair case, which Leonardo da Vinci is rumoured to have designed.

Then we went back to the hotel a sat around. Then we went for a walk to the castle in town, but did not go in and saw a metal lizard at the house of magic across the square. Finally we had dinner at Pepper and Salt.

 

We started in Pontaubert, drove for an hour or two then stopped in Gien and had moules for lunch. Then we drove on to Blois were we stayed at a Mercure and went for a swim. Finally we had dinner at the hotel.

When we got to CERN we waited a bit then started the tour. We first saw the first collider built at CERN in the 1950s and how it works. Basically it ionizes it, strips the electrons, and then sends it to the Collider. Protons are positive and are attracted to negative so they have two magnets and swap the  polarity to increase its speed when it’s between them. Finally it’s launched into a stone to create collisions.

At the LHC they don’t increase the speed they add energy. The LHC has a 1cm turn every 15m. To turn the protons they use an electromagnetic line. As the protons wizz around, the LHC tightens the beam with electromagnetic fields which pulls them to the middle. Copper isn’t the best conductor but titanium niobium is at 1.9 kelvin (very cold) and the only liquid at that temperature is helium and it loses all friction. Their are trying to make room temperature superconductors.

After all that there are only about 20 collisions out of 1,000,000 protons. Scientists want better collisions so they have to make better magnets. There have been a few problems like the wire losing it’s superconductivity and then it heats up from the 1100 amps that melted the wire. Currently they are trying to find out why there isn’t any anti matter and dark matter.

When we got to CERN we looked at the exhibitions and then bought some stuff. Next we went to a church and its chapel. The chapel had a archeological site under it, it was  very interesting. While walking back to the car it started to rain so we went to a food court and had astoundingly expensive sushi for dinner.

Today we drove from Lucerne to Geneva.When we got to the first view point we saw a lake. Next we got to a mountain area and my ear started to hurt.  Finally we reached a lake and walked a round.We had lunch in Interlaken and saw some parachutists. When we reached the hotel we had dinner and sat a round a bit.

When we got here we walked to an ATM and then to another cathedral. Next we had a drink and found dinner. Afterwards we went to the wall and up the tower. We walked past a a water power station and it had a fountain to show you how much energy it made. Finally we had dinner and walked back to the room.