Which do you think is more important in our understanding of the universe- small scale physics i.e. sub-atomic

Question: Which do you think is more important in our understanding of the universe- small scale physics i.e. sub-atomic particles and smaller, or large scale physics such as the study of galaxies and outer space?
- Keywords:
  education,
  physics,
  research,
  space,
  sub-atomic
Asked by aliceandtooba to Ben, Clare, Ezzy, Mario, Sam on 13 Mar 2012.
- Mario Campanelli answered on 13 Mar 2012:
  
  one thing depends on the other. To study the evolution of the universe, you need to understand the properties of particles that were filling the primordial universe, and the only way to do that is using a particle accelerator!
- Clare Burrage answered on 13 Mar 2012:
  
  I think they’re both important, and quite likely the two things are connected. The only way to study really, really short distances and high energies will be to understand the beginnings of the universe at the Big Bang, and it’s also important to study the particles that make up our universe in the lab.
- Elizabeth Pearson answered on 19 Mar 2012:
  
  i do the large scale stuff, but you need both to get a good and full understanding of the universe. No one thing is any more important than any of the others. that’s true of all science. Everything is equally important.

Question: Which do you think is more important in our understanding of the universe- small scale physics i.e. sub-atomic particles and smaller, or large scale physics such as the study of galaxies and outer space?