Editing 812: Glass

{{comic
| number    = 812
| date      = October 29, 2010
| title     = Glass
| image     = glass.png
| titletext = I read in this one article that the breaking of electroweak symmetry is the reason we have SOULS. This guy with a degree said so!
}}

==Explanation==
In the beginning of the comic, [[Megan]] is trying to break a wine glass like an opera singer. This is a rather famous trick where the vocalist sings at the resonant, or natural frequency of the glass and cause it to resonate more and more until it can no longer handle the stress and breaks - for more info, see the {{w|Mythbusters}} episode about the Earthquake Machine. If the resonant frequency of the glass is outside of the singer's range, then putting some water in the glass will lower its resonant frequency. This effect can be used to play different notes on the rim of a glass by varying the amount of water in it. For example, see this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULiNR-k4m70 video].

While Megan is trying to break the glass by hitting its resonant frequency, she is actually creating something new.  This is similar to particle physics where a new particle can be identified by a {{w|Resonance_(particle_physics)|resonance}} peak in the differencial cross-section of a scattering experiment:  Known particles plus some very specific amount of energy lead to the creation of a new particle, the Higgs boson. This is represented in the comic with the water and the pitch of Megan's voice creating blood.

The term "God Particle" was coined in 1993 by physicist {{w|Leon M. Lederman}} to describe the {{w|Higgs boson}} because it's "central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive." He originally called it the "goddamn particle", but this was considered offensive, and his editor shortened it to just "God particle", maybe to promote interest in the particle from non-academics too. Many people misinterpret the name to be some kind of link between physics and religion, so physics is getting back at them by playing pranks that resemble famous miracles from Christian tradition:
*Jesus turned water into wine at the marriage in Cana.
*The first of the ten plagues in Egypt turned all of the water into blood — the rivers, canals, ponds, pools, and every sort of container holding water. 
*The wine turning into blood is also a reference to the Catholic ritual of {{w|Transubstantiation}}.

Notably, the Higgs Boson was discovered in 2012, 2 years after this comic was released. So at the time, physicists were still looking for the particle.

Notice that, in the last panel, the blood seems to have dripped out of [[Cueball]]'s glass onto the table and solidified instantly, further proof that physics doesn't apply in this scenario.

The title text refers to the breaking of electroweak symmetry. According to the standard model of particle physics, the electromagnetic and the weak interactions were once unified into a single 'electroweak interaction'. Shortly after the Big Bang, the universe underwent a phase transition that split the electroweak interaction into the electromagnetic and weak interactions that we observe today. The word 'symmetry' refers to the SU(2)xU(1) gauge symmetry that is satisfied by the unified electroweak, but has been spontaneously broken in the phase transition. As with many scientific theories, these can be used incorrectly in order to lend credibility to unrelated and nonsensical claims. This particular case is an instance of "quantum woo." Similarly, a degree can be used to lend the appearance of credibility to a person pushing such an idea, regardless of what field it was earned it or whether said person has any competence.
Another comic, albeit much later, about quantum mechanics and souls is [[1240: Quantum Mechanics]]

==Transcript==
:[Megan is singing, Cueball is staring at a glass of water on a table.]
:Megan: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE... Anything break?
:Cueball: No, but the water in the glass turned to wine.

:[Cueball picks up glass]
:Megan: Weird.
:Cueball: No, wait. This is blood.

:Megan: Okay, physics, quit fucking with us.
:Voice from above the panel:<!-- Physics, according to the official xkcd transcript --> You stop looking for the Higgs boson and we'll talk.

== Trivia ==
The flat semitone is drawn the wrong way around . The flat drawn is meant to represent Semi-flats, which are further subdivisions of tonalities, after normal semitones,  which are a group of tonalities used by Angine de Poitrine.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
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[[Category:Physics]]
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[[Category:Comics with blood]]
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