On December 14, the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy transformed St. Paul's Church into a winter wonderland of science. In the special Advent edition of "Saturday Morning Physics", Prof. Judith Golda led us through a Christmas story of the physical kind: when Santa Claus and his reindeer deliver presents to all the children in one night, there can only be magic involved... However, while this is a long time coming, physics also has some magical phenomena in store. The plasma physicist has taken a closer look at these together with the audience.
Experiments from snow flurries to flame waves
Golda demonstrated the physical magic of Advent with exciting experiments. From handmade snow and gold-plated mini reindeer to tinsel that moves as if by magic, some of the experiments amazed the visitors. Another highlight was the demonstration of the so-called Rubens flame tube. A series of small flames were set in motion by music: when the devotional sounds of "Silent Night, Holy Night" were played through the loudspeaker at one end of the tube, crests and troughs of flames were created. The sound waves generated were thus made visible.
Physics for everyone from 2 to 82
The church was filled to capacity and the audience was a diverse mix. The youngest visitor was 2 years old, the oldest over 82 - and all were similarly fascinated by the vivid experiments. Before and after the demonstration, the student council provided waffles and coffee - a perfect start to a Saturday Christmas market visit. The Saturday Morning Physics series has a long tradition, but the Advent edition was a premiere. The faculty is delighted that it met with such great interest. "Physics Magic in Advent" was the first of four events this winter; the next one will take place on January 11 and is entitled "Quantum Physics at your fingertips - perfect magnets through dancing electrons".
Photo: © Boesel