Lower Sixth Physicists go to London

Falling neatly at the beginning of the spring half-term break, we decided to take advantage of the annual conference for Sixth Form students organised by the Institute of Physics. Three days of lectures, taking place mainly in the hallowed venue of the Royal Institution, saw three hundred students listen keenly to some of the best speakers in the business. Of particular note on the Sunday afternoon was the inspirational talk given by Professor Mark Lancaster of University College London; something of a call-to-arms for young physicists caught up in circumstances not always sympathetic to science. Professor Jim Al-Khalili, familiar to many from television, addressed the audience the following day on the subject of general relativity; a presentation of great coherence and clarity. The final day saw David MacKay of the University of Cambridge deliver a presentation on Sustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air. With incisive reasoning, a talent that has seen him appointed as chief scientific advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Professor Mackay delivered a fascinating practical case for energy policy, augmented with dry wit and withering dismissal of much that passes for comment on subject. The conference concluded with a lecture on the physics of computer games delivered by Dr Jon Purdy of the University of Hull, an interesting talk demonstrating that the laws of physics operate just as successfully in the virtual world as the real.

To tread in the footsteps of Faraday, Davy, Bragg and many others was not the only opportunity provided by our trip to London. A boat trip down the Thames from Embankment to Greenwich gave a super sightseeing opportunity, and once arrived, the Royal Observatory lying on the cusp of the Western and Eastern Hemispheres supplied much of interest; including Harrison's chronometers, an impressive camera obscura, and the very recently constructed astronomy exhibition space and planetarium. Given half-term week we were lucky to find some seats available in the planetarium, and can recommend a visit highly; as we can a rather unknown gem for those with a scientific interest. It turns out that the Royal Institution has in its basement a very well put together exhibition open to the public, and deserved of considerably more than the time we were able to spend there. A trip on the London Eye, or flight as it is termed, gave us a bird's eye view of London in the rain, and rounded off a long day of cultural activity nicely. A successful trip I feel, and one that perhaps could be repeated. Many thanks to the IoP, Mr PJ Cooper, and everyone else involved in making the event a success.

Dr A J Patchett (Head of Physics) February 2010

Lower Sixth Physicists go to London

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