What lies beneath; and how the LHC could help us find out

Particle physics is about understanding the universe at the very smallest scales. So far, a remarkably consistent picture has emerged. Our experiments imply that everything in the universe consists of a small number of fundamental particles that are held together by a small number of fundamental forces. Our theory - the Standard Model - which describes these interactions, is so successful that we haven't yet made an experimental measurement that disagrees with a single one of its predictions. Yet, we know that the Standard Model is incomplete, and that there is much left for us to understand.

This year sees the start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a new particle accelerator that will allow us to probe the universe at the smallest scales to date. In this talk I will survey our current understanding of particle physics, describe the LHC, and discuss how it might help us solve some of the biggest mysteries about the universe.