Homer Simpson predicted the mass of the Higgs boson particle 14 years before it was discovered, a writer claims
Homer Simpson predicted the mass of the Higgs boson in a 1998 episode of The Simpsons, according to a science writer.
In The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace episode, Homer is shown in front of a blackboard working on an equation.
Twelve years later, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider discovered the Higgs boson.
•Q&A: What is the Higgs boson?
Simon Singh, author of The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets, told a literary festival audience that the series is staffed by writers with an interest in maths.
"The Simpsons is the most mathematical TV show on prime-time television in history. A lot of the writers on The Simpsons are mathematicians," he said.
"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."
The Simpsons may "encourage and nourish" maths lovers, Singh said, adding that he hoped teenagers would be inspierd by the fact the show's creators shared their interests.
