Runny yoghurt and rainbows!

22/04/2010

Practical experiments with dry ice always prove fun with the students!

A group of Physics students from the College's Sixth Form Haywards Heath campus enjoyed a day of lab work and lectures at Sussex University Physics and Astronomy Department this month, as part of the second year of their Physics A level studies. Whilst there, they got the chance to conduct a whole range of experiments involving a number of unusual elements, and also got the chance to get a taste of university life!

The group experimented with building their own cloud chambers that can detect background radiation and show the path of the particles as small trails of water vapour or small 'clouds'. This involved using a lot of dry ice, which has to be handled very carefully and safely, but is always fun to work with! Lectures were given by X-ray astronomer Dr Darren Baskill and quantum physicist Dr Claudia Eberlein. Darren explained how the magnetic field of the sun affects our atmosphere, and Claudia introduced the students to the strange world of quantum mechanics. Both have everyday effects that we see in our lives; solar radiation can interrupt television reception, and quantum fluctuations make your yoghurt nice and thick and not runny!

In addition to the science, the group also had a chance to look around the University campus and get a taste of University life - something all the students are very much looking forward to for real in September! Physics teacher Deanna Nicholson, who organised the trip said "Getting the chance to work in a real laboratory with professional physicists, has been a wonderful opportunity for the students to gain new insights into the practical applications of physics."