Intriguing Data

Why do theoretical physicists write papers explaining preliminary results? The CERN auditorium Image Credit: Skeie by Eran Moore Rea How does physics work? Do experimental results drive theory, or do theoretical results drive new experiments? When new experimental results are announced, the process of how and why the physics community reacts the way it does can seem opaque. PhysicsBuzz shines some light on the stops and starts of physics discovery by investigating two different cases where excit...