in layman's terms: what does a particle accelerator do?

Question

I understand it pretty much splits atoms. which from what i understand if fission. atom bomb stuff. isn't that extremely dangerous? and why aren't they using the energy that one of these accelerators puts off? too much to harness or what?

Answer 1

Actually particle accelerators have little to do with nuclear fission and nothing to do with nuclear weapons.

Particle accelerators do exactly what their name implies. They accelerate charged particles using electromagnetic fields to extremely high velocities. There are many uses for the particles.These high energy particles can be used to create to create x-rays to study material behaviors. These x-rays are also used in certain medical procedures. Also the charged particles can be smashed into each other to study the fundamental forces and particles of nature.

Answer 2

a particle accelerator uses magnetic fields to propel atoms together at nearly the speed of light so when the atoms are crushed they can study the particles that are emitted, it all happens in millionths of a second

accelerators actualy use trillions of volts and a few atoms colliding is way too small to produce any usable energy or be dangerous

Answer 3

Simply put,it smashes open atoms so that we can look at what's inside.