26 November 2019
Fourteen lower sixth physics students and two members of staff headed off early for the annual Physics in Action lecture series at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. The venue is stunning but not the easiest of places to reach.
As ever, the lectures were varied and stimulating with subjects ranging from the unsolved mysteries facing astrophysicists and cosmologists today to the physics of smart buildings. The lecture that had the most squeamish response was the one on how the voice works and how it can be changed by technology and the loudest was naturally from the chemist creating explosions whilst talking about ice. The surprising unanimous favourite was about the 2019 changes to the definitions of the kilogram, ampere, kelvin and mole, four of the seven ‘SI’ units – extremely clever and funny!
There was also a helpful ‘short’ from the man behind the A-level physics online revision videos that we have been championing within the department.