CERN and its work

The paper sets out with a brief description of the place of high- energy physics as the latest step in basic research into the structure of matter. It then discusses how the nature of the physics demands large, complex, and costly equipment relying on advanced technology for accelerating particles, observing their properties and analysing the results of experiments. After describing the CERN facilities in European high-energy research, it is shown how the concentration of research in one laboratory leads to efficient use of equipment, but demands high reliability and operational flexibility. (0 refs).