Speed Of Light Crunch Time

Oscar (Parrot-Boy) scowls at his blood brother.

The look travels the short distance between them, at the speed of light ( almost ).

Terence intercepts Oscar's look.

Bang! ( or Ping! )

What? says Terence.

You got me in trouble, says Oscar. AND you made me look dumb.

I made you look smarter, says Terence. You were going to say C was the answer. I could tell by the shape of your mouth.

( a skill Terence learned from the Virgin, who often said it.

See? she would often say. See? )

C was the answer, says Oscar.

I agree, says Vello. C was the proper answer. But Terence's answer was amusing.

No, says Terence. The proper answer is Cows, and the answer before was Croutons.

Both starting with C, says David, dabbing Oscar's bloody hand with his hankie.

Thank you, says Oscar.

Thank you, says Terence.

Em comes back with a polystyrene cup full of water, and a box of bandaids.

In no time, Oscar (Parrot-Boy) is sporting a bandaid.

(which is not cool for blood brothers)

Next we'll visit the Neutrinos says Em, then the Alice. After that, if there's time we'll try and make it to the Acceleration, before lunch.

They whizz through the Neutrinos. Phantom Particles. There appears to be nothing to see there.

Then the Alice.

The Alice Experiment studies the state of matter that existed at the start of the Universe. Here Be Quarks.

Child Question: What is the name given to the Primordial Soup?

Oops! That's the answer. A and B are just silly. (Initial stew, infernal broth)

C is the answer.

C for Soup. Terence is right again, as usual.

But Oscar was going to say that as well.

And now, says Vello, I vote we Accelerate towards Crunch time.

Everyone agrees to accelerate. They accelerate along the circuit to the Acceleration Stage.

Child Question: What speed are the particles under your feet accelerated to in the Large Hadron Collider?

A. 50k/h (like a moped)
B. 300,000 k/sec (almost the speed of light)
C. 36,000 k/h (like a rocket)

Family Question: Why do we accelerate particles at CERN ?  >>>>>>>

Clue:  it's
Connected to
Croutons at
Crunch time >>>>>