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Date May 2012 Marks available 2 Reference code 12M.3.HL.TZ2.24
Level Higher level Paper Paper 3 Time zone Time zone 2
Command term Outline Question number 24 Adapted from N/A

Question

This question is about the early universe and the Higgs boson.

The graph shows the variation of the logarithm of the temperature T of the universe with the logarithm of the time t after the Big Bang.

Evidence for the Higgs boson might be discovered at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Outline why such a discovery would be of crucial significance to the standard model.

Markscheme

the Higgs is the only undiscovered particle of the standard model;
the discovery would help to verify standard model / failure to discover it would necessitate a change in the model;
the Higgs is responsible for giving mass to particles / is linked to the problem of mass so its discovery would shed light on the problem of mass;

Examiners report

 

Syllabus sections

Core » Topic 7: Atomic, nuclear and particle physics » 7.3 – The structure of matter
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