Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

In January, the Society went on the first of what we hope will be many trips, to the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge attending one of the Outreach lectures for members of the public.

The lecture, entitled ‘The Ever Expanding Universe and Dark Energy’, was delivered by Professor Carolin Crawford and gave a brief introduction to cosmology and Einstein’s equations of gravity and relativity. We were introduced to the cosmological constant and density parameter to describe the end fate of the universe and its expansion.

Last week we returned once again to the Cavendish for yet another interesting lecture, this time entitled ‘The Physics of Spin’. After taking our seats in the Pippard Lecture Theatre, we listened to the brilliant Professor Mark Warner explaining in detail about angular velocity, mass and momentum. Several fascinating demonstrations involving home-made gyroscope made from bicycle wheels were carried out to demonstrate the conservation of angular momentum, often resulting in audience members precessing on a chair to illustrate the forces exerted by a spinning object. The lecture concluded with a look at quantum spin and an explanation of ½ spin particles and integer-spin bosons. After a Q & A with Professor Warner, we caught taxis back to the Leisure Park where a well-deserved meal was had by all at Pizza Hut where our discussions naturally turned to the physics of pizza topping and dough.

We feel extremely fortunate to have such an amazing facility relatively close to us and look forward to more trips in the near future. If you are interested in joining the Society, please come along on Friday lunchtimes. For more information speak to Charlie Jonas or Robin Franklin.

Charlie Jonas, Year 13