Homer Simpson knew the mass of the Higgs boson particle before scientists ever did, which means there's hope for the rest of us. We aren't scientists here at GameZone, but a quick Google search explains that the Higgs boson particle (also known as God particle) is an elementary particle that explains why other particles have mass. The theory hypothesized that all subatomic particles interact within an energy field, giving them mass.
First predicted in 1964 by Professor Peter Higgs and five other physicists, it wasn't until 2013 that the actual proof of the Higgs boson was discovered. Turns out, though, another man — a bald, slightly overweight, cartoon-man obsessed with doughnuts — may have made the scientific breakthrough before anyone else.
In a 1998 episode of The Simpsons (The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace), Homer Simpson predicted the mass of the Higgs boson while on a journey to become an inventor. It's the episode where Homer makes the chair with hinged legs in the back so you can never fall out of the chair.
As it turns out, the writers behind The Simpsons and Futurama are pretty into physics and math. Simon Singh the author of the 2013 book "The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets," let us in on the equation:
“That equation predicts the mass of the Higgs Boson. If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that’s only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is. It’s kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction 14 years before it was discovered.”
So how did it get in there? It was snuck on there by a writer for the episode, whose friend was involved in research on the Higgs.
