Unraveling the Secrets of Electricity and the Universe at NPL Event

1. Protons for BreakfastWeek 1: Electricity March 2011

2. In the event of an alarm sounding…

3. Toilets…

4. Parents and children…

5. The plan for the evening… Feedback More talk Walkabout 8:59 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. 8:00 p.m. to 8:29 p.m. Talk 7:00 p.m. to 7:59 p.m.

6. Rhys Evans Robert Goddard Ruth Montgomery Sharmila Hanson Stephanie Bell Sue Gibbons Tim Burnett Who is helping? John Makepeace John Mountford Jonathan Pearce Jordan Tompkins Joseph Thom Laurie Winkless Lindsay Chapman Lloyd England Louise Brown Maria Lodeiro Mateusz Szymanski Neelaksh Sadhoo Paul Carroll Peter Benson Peter Quested Peter Woolliams Rainer Winkler Ralf Mouthaan Andrew Hanson Arzu Arinc Averil Horton Bufa Zhang Clare Lee Davide Di Maio Deborah Lea Eleanor Bakhshandeiar Elena Amico di Meane Emma Woolliams Gianluca Memoli Jacquie Elkin James Claverly James Miall Jeff Flowers Jenny Wilkinson Jian Wang Joanna Lee

7. Thanks • NPL: • The National Physical Laboratory • Serco: • Manage NPL on behalf of the BIS • Amey: • Who set out the rooms • Baxter Storey: • Who do the tea & biscuits

8. Who is Michael de Podesta? Age 51: • Lecturer in Physics at Birkbeck College and University College London for 13 years • At NPL for 11 years. • Building the most accurate thermometer ever. • Married with two sons (aged 12 & 14) • Keen on Water Rockets

9. MBE!

10. Why am I here? I am here because I believe … Science is humanity’s greatest achievement

11. Why are you here? • Get fresh ideas that I can incorporate in my lessons. • The course should add a further dimension to my life in retirement. • To be educated, explore and have fun with science in our everyday lives....with my kids • To learn more about science. • I am very interested in science and attended the course a few years ago and loved it so much I wanted to do it again, this time with my husband who I have just signed up. It will be his birthday present • I am fascinated by everything. I'm currently doing a literature degree at St Mary's University and as much as I love it I am aware of the gap in my science knowledge and just want to know more! Always more! Never really got to grips with science at school in the way I now wish I had.

12. …there is a problem about how we, as citizens, relate to science…

13. The image of science:1Mad Muppets top cult science poll Dr Honeydew is known the world over for his disastrous research at Muppet Labs, "where the future is being made today". His experiments invariably go awry, with poor old Beaker usually being blown to bits or electrocuted. BBC 6/9/2004

14. The image of science:2Science Gone Wrong What! BANG! The final touch… Alex Noble (Age 9)

15. The image of science:3An un-scientific experiment Scientist ……… Scientist

16. In contrast… • A room full of people who want to learn about science • Helped by volunteers • In a world where ignorance makes us powerless

17. Tonight’s talk • The scale and size of the Universe • Its very big, but full of very small things • The electric force • It dominates every physical phenomenon on our scale. • How the force works • Electric particles • Electric field • Light • Waves in the Electric field

18. Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe or ‘How not to be boggled!’

19. The imperceptible and the vast (1) As human beings we can judge: • temperatures close to ‘normal’ • weights greater than a gram up to around 1000 kilograms • distances greater than a millimetre or less than a few kilometres. • times greater than a second or less than a fraction of a lifetime.

20. The imperceptible and the vast (2) As human beings we cannot judge: • temperatures more a few degrees away from ‘normal’ • Such temperatures just feel ‘very hot’ or ‘very cold’ • weights beyond a few tonnes or less than a gram • Such weights seem either stupendously heavy or negligible • distances less than a millimetre or greater than a few kilometres. • Such distances are too tiny or too far to perceive directly • times less than a second or more than a fraction of a lifetime. • Such times are too small or too long for us to appreciate

21. The imperceptible and the vast (4) Measuring instruments extend our senses • Telescopes & Microscopes, • Weighing machines, • Devices sensitive to electricity & light, • Clocks NPL: Enables people to trust measurements

22. Quantities and qualities that extend beyond our ability to perceive them often seem: imperceptible or vast ? ? Science helps us extend our senses But we can still feel boggled!

23. The Planet Earth Diameter: 12,800 km Deepest hole: 10 km Atmosphere: 10 km Photo Credit: NASA

24. The Moon Diameter Earth: 12,800 km Moon: 3476 km Photo Credit: NASA

25. The Sun Earth Diameter: 1,390,800 km Photo Credit: NASA

26. Powers of Ten I hope that you are now a little unsettled and ready to go on a 9 minute journey to see how the world looks at different levels of ‘fantasy magnification’ Photo Credit: Powers of 10

27. Powers of Ten (1) 1 metre 1000000000000 m Very Very Small Very Very Large 0.001 m 1000000000 m 0.000000001 m 0.000001 m 1000000 m 1000 m Can you see the problem with very small and very large numbers?

28. Powers of Ten (2) 1 1018 1024 10-18 10-12 1030 1036 Very Very Small Very Very Large 10-15 10-9 1021 1027 1033 100 0.000001 10-6 1000000 106 1012 10-3 0.001 1000 103 109 1015

29. Powers of Ten (3) 1 metre 1000000000000 m 0.000000000001 m 10-18 10-12 1012 Very Very Small Very Very Large 10-15 10-9 1018 1024 10-6 106 1012 1030 1036 10-3 103 109 1015 1021 1027 1033

30. Powers of TenLength Scale in metres Diameter of a hair Diameter of the Earth Distance to the Sun Current estimate of the size of the universe Microbes Viruses Human Relationships Quarks 100 Nucleiof atoms Atoms & molecules Nanotechnology Tallest Mountain Nearest Star Light Year 1018 1024 10-18 10-12 10-6 106 1012 1030 1036 ? Very Very Small Very Very Large 10-15 10-9 10-3 103 109 1015 1021 1027 1033

31. Powers of TenLength Scale in metres Diameter of a hair Diameter of the Earth Distance to the Sun Current estimate of the size of the universe Microbes Viruses What goes on here? String Theory M-Branes ???????? ? ? Human Relationships Quarks 1018 1024 10-18 10-12 10-6 100 106 1012 1030 1036 10-36 10-30 10-24 10-15 10-9 10-3 103 109 1015 1021 1027 1033 10-33 10-27 10-21 Nucleiof atoms Atoms & molecules Large Hadron Collider Nanotechnology Tallest Mountain Nearest Star Light Year Large Hadron Collider

32. Powers of TenGlobal Warming Diameter of the Earth Distance to the Sun Microbes Atoms & molecules Tallest Mountain Human Relationships 1018 1024 10-18 10-12 10-6 100 106 1012 1030 1036 Very Very Small Very Very Large 10-15 10-9 10-3 103 109 1015 1021 1027 1033 The phenomenon of global warming involves physical processes with length scales spanning 20 powers of 10!

33. Powers of TenNuclear Power Diameter of the Earth Distance to the Sun Microbes Human Relationships Nucleiof atoms Atoms & molecules 1018 1024 10-18 10-12 10-6 100 106 1012 1030 1036 Very Very Small Very Very Large 10-15 10-9 10-3 103 109 1015 1021 1027 1033 The issues surrounding nuclear power involve physical processes with length scales spanning 25 powers of 10! Tallest Mountain

34. Powers of Ten (time)Time scale in seconds 1 second Earth moves once around the Sun Estimated time since the big bang Light wave wiggles once Time for a molecule to jiggle once Fastest response of human eye Sound travels 1 metre A human lifetime Lifetime of a Civilisation End of last ice age Age of the Earth 1018 1024 10-18 10-12 10-6 100 106 1012 Very Very short Very Very Long 10-15 10-9 10-3 103 109 1015 1021

35. The Universe • Its very big, but full of very small things ? ?

36. Electricity Electricity

37. Now we can begin… Electricity Heat Electromagnetic waves Atoms

38. Electricity Eeeee - lec- tric-ity Electricity

39. Electricity Some experiments…

40. Lets take a look at some odd phenomena… • A balloon and a piece of paper

41. Lets take a look at some odd phenomena… • If I balance my glasses carefully…

42. Even a sausage… • Sausages…

43. …its everything… The balloon affects anything and everything nearby To understand this, we need to understand • what matter is made of, and • how this ‘influence’ is communicated across ‘space’

44. A simple scientific instrument: The gold leaf electroscope • Scientists can develop instruments to measure the relative strengths of the ‘electric influence’ • Based on the same effect we saw with bits of paper

45. The Van de Graaff Generator • Scientists can develop machines to automate and amplify the ‘rubbing’ process with the balloon Photo Credits: Katherine Robinson and MIT

46. The Van de Graaff Generator It is not important to understand how a Van de Graaff generator works PictureCredits: http://www.ikp.uni-koeln.de/~3T/tandem-prinzip1.htmlhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/vdg1.htm

47. The Van de Graaff Generator It is not important to understand how a Van de Graaff generator works

48. The Wimshurst Machine Sorry: I cannot explain how a Wimshurst Machine works! Photo Credits: Wikipedia andhttp://www.coe.ufrj.br/~acmq/electrostatic.html

49. Electrostatic Generators • People have been doing this for a long time… Photo Credits: http://www.ikp.uni-koeln.de/~3T/tandem-prinzip1.html

50. Conclusion… Electricity is present inside ALL matter Its ‘influence’ can be communicated across ‘empty’ space