Will CERN make black holes that will consume the Earth?

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Elok
They do so because they possess immense mass, mass far in excess of our sun's.

No.
A black hole does not have to be massive, just dense.
You own body mass would be a (small) black hole if it was compressed enough.

There is no minimal mass for a black hole, although as I understand it, small black holes can have limited life time due to losing mass by Hawkings radiation and eventually evaporating.

[Lancer]

That's right. But Hawkings radiation has not been proven to exist. If it doesn't exist, black holes don't evaporate. If they would wait to turn it on there's a way of determining if Hawkings radiation exists, but that's not ready yet.

It's all explained in detail in this thread.

[Elok]

Yes, but the gravitational pull of a black hole, like all gravity, comes from it having a buttload of mass, no? If just being dense made you powerful, Ned would rule the world. For this doomsday scenario to work the cute widdle bwack howe would have to be able to pull more matter towards it regularly, exerting enough tug to overcome the Earth's own considerable efforts.

I know locality has something to do with it (gravity becomes slightly stronger as you approach the Earth), but just how much does density make up for low mass? Or are scientists suggesting that a particle accelerator can spontaneously generate matter on a vast scale? The moon can partially fight Earth's gravity (the tides), but it's pretty damned big.

[Lancer]

The tiny black hole would be orbiting the earth, even within the earth coliding with and absorbing other matter through collisions, not gravity.Only when it has absorbed enough matter would it start pulling in matter. When that happens its over very quickly.

[Kuciwalker]

I know locality has something to do with it (gravity becomes slightly stronger as you approach the Earth), but just how much does density make up for low mass?

It doesn't at all, except very close to the surface of the object. And the surface of this object, IIRC, is smaller than the surface of a proton.

[Aeson]

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/large-hadron-collider.php

MYTHS AND FACTS:

Myth: The Large Hadron Collider is very unlikely to destroy the world.

Fact: The moment they turn on the collider, or "Apocalypse-Creating Death Machine" as the technicians working there affectionately refer to it, the world will instantly be destroyed by dangerous shockwaves of scientific energy spreading all over the globe. The scientists know this will happen, but plan to turn on the machine anyway because all scientists are evil.

Myth: The Large Hadron Collider is an important tool for furthering our understand of the universe.

Fact: Who cares? It's just studying stuff that's even smaller than an atom, so the practical applications of the technology are basically non-existent. At best, we might get a better version of the microwave out of this. Or an improvement on velcro. I think science created velcro, right?

Myth: It is funny and original to call it the "Large Hard-On Collider".

Fact: This one is absolutely true. Some other good names along the same lines are the "Big Boner Machine" and the "Huge-Dick-Smasher-o-matic"

[Lancer]

[Elok]

Originally posted by Lancer
The tiny black hole would be orbiting the earth, even within the earth coliding with and absorbing other matter through collisions, not gravity.Only when it has absorbed enough matter would it start pulling in matter. When that happens its over very quickly.

So this is like that weird Japanese video game where you had to roll around a gigantic ball of random crud to form a star out of it? And how much is "enough" matter? If it's got to bump into enough particles to accumulate enough mass to overcome the Earth's it could have a loooooong road ahead of it.

[Lancer]

Yes, a long road. Estimates vary from 5 to 1000 years. So, from loong to loooooong, as you suggested Elok.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Bring it ON! It will force us to colonize Moon and Mars quickly

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Elok
So this is like that weird Japanese video game where you had to roll around a gigantic ball of random crud to form a star out of it? And how much is "enough" matter? If it's got to bump into enough particles to accumulate enough mass to overcome the Earth's it could have a loooooong road ahead of it.

Katamari Damacy

[Lancer]

With all the calamity about the invasion, the hurricane, and Sloww riding a bull, little 'ol CERN and the impending creation of a black hole that will eat the world in a few years may have slipped your mind. Well. This is the month they turn it on. Sept 10 last I heard, the beginning of the end of all things.

[FrostyBoy]

I'll be laughing all the way to the black hole.

[Lancer]

Originally posted by FrostyBoy
I'll be laughing all the way to the black hole.

Here's one for you Frosty. However BE WARNED! It contains the F word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neSnOYrJ5wU

[Lancer]

Three days left. That is on the third day they turn it on, the 10th.

Likely nothing that science can possibly observe will happen but the possibility exists that a black hole will be born that in the coming years will accrue enough mass to, at the very end, quickly consume the planet.