Protons for Breakfast Week 1: Electricity November 2012

In the event of an alarm sounding…

Toilets…

Parents and children…

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

Who is helping? Andrew Hanson Andy Knott Averil Horton Bufa Zhang Cat Fitzpatrick Chantal Mustoe Claire Greenwell David Clay Deborah Lea Edward Brightman Emma Woolliams Gianluca Memoli Jacquie Elkin James Claverley James Miall Jane Burston Jane Scott Paul Green Peter Benson Peter Edmead Peter Nisbet-Jones Peter Quested Peter Woolliams Pippa Goldenberg Rainer Winkler Ralf Mouthaan Robert Goddard Ruth Montgomery Ruth Pearce Sharmila Hanson Stephanie Bell Sue Gibbons Jeff Flowers Jenny Hully Jenny Wilkinson John Gallop John Makepeace John Mountford Jonathan Pearce Jordan Tompkins Joseph Thom Kate Wilkinson Laurie Winkless Lindsay Chapman Lloyd England Louise Brown Maria Lodeiro Marta Doval Minarro Paul Carroll

Thanks NPL: The National Physical Laboratory Serco: Manage NPL on behalf of the BIS Amey: Who set out the rooms

Michael de Podesta Age 52: Lecturer in Physics at University of London for 13 years Understanding the Properties of MatterUnderstanding the Properties of Matter At NPL for 12 years. Most accurate thermometer ever made! International Surface Temperature InitiativeInternational Surface Temperature Initiative Married with two sons (aged 14 & 16) Keen on Water Rockets Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire!

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

Why are you here? Accompanying my daughter but also interested in how science is applied in everyday life. Science teacher has suggested it Supporting my daughters who both love Science and keep asking questions I can't answer!. Fun I have been home tutored since May and my science teacher has been amazing and taught me so much. I am really interested in science and particularly the universe. My husband had a physics PhD and my youngest son has just graduated from Imperial with a physics degree and I would like to be able to join in their conversations sometimes. I like atoms I have been before and really enjoyed it but I have forgotten some things which I would like to remember!

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

The image of science:1 Mad 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

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

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

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

Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe Electricity How Electricity works Atoms Light

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

The imperceptible and the vast 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.

The imperceptible and the vast 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very Very Small Very Very Large Powers of Ten (1) 1 metre 1000 m m m m m m m Can you see the problem with very small and very large numbers?

Powers of Ten (2) Very Very Small Very Very Large

Powers of Ten (3) Very Very Small Very Very Large 1 metre m m

Powers of Ten Length Scale in metres Very Very Large ? Very Very Small 10 0 Human Relationships Atoms & molecules Nuclei of atoms Current estimate of the size of the universe Nearest Star Light Year Tallest Mountain Nanotechnology Distance to the Sun Diameter of the Earth Diameter of a hair Microbes Viruses Quarks

Powers of Ten Length Scale in metres Human Relationships Distance to the Sun Atoms & molecules Nuclei of atoms Current estimate of the size of the universe Nearest Star Light Year Tallest MountainNanotechnology Diameter of the Earth Diameter of a hair Microbes Viruses Quarks Large Hadron Collider Large Hadron ColliderLarge Hadron Collider ? What goes on here? String Theory M-Branes ???????? ?

Powers of Ten Global Warming Very Very Large Very Very Small Human Relationships The phenomenon of global warming involves physical processes with length scales spanning 20 powers of 10! Distance to the Sun Tallest Mountain Diameter of the Earth Atoms & molecules Microbes

Powers of Ten Nuclear Power Very Very Large Very Very Small Human Relationships Tallest Mountain The issues surrounding nuclear power involve physical processes with length scales spanning 25 powers of 10! Nuclei of atoms Distance to the Sun Diameter of the Earth Atoms & molecules Microbes

Powers of Ten (time) Time scale in seconds Very Very short Very Very Long Time for a molecule to jiggle once Light wave wiggles once Earth moves once around the Sun Estimated time since the big bang Age of the Earth End of last ice age Lifetime of a Civilisation A human lifetime Fastest response of human eye Sound travels 1 metre 1 second

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

Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe Its very big, but full of very small things Electricity How it works Atoms Light

Electricity

Electromagnetic waves Electricity Heat How it all fits together… Atoms

Eeeee - lec- tric-ityElectricity

Some experiments…

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

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

Even a sausage… Sausages…

…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’

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

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

The Van de Graaff Generator It is not important to understand how a Van de Graaff generator works PictureCredits:

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

The Wimshurst Machine Sorry: I cannot explain how a Wimshurst Machine works! Photo Credits: Wikipedia and

Electrostatic Generators People have been doing this for a long time… Photo Credits:

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

Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe Its very big, but full of very small things Electricity It’s everywhere! How it works Atoms Light

Not Stuff the gaps in between matter fields Stuff matter How do we describe the world?

Not Stuff (Fields) Fields Gravitational Electroweak Strong Extend throughout space Stuff (Particles) Atoms Electrons Neutrons Protons Very small We need to know about both particles and fields Two different kinds of physical entity

How do charged particles interact? It’s a three-step process… Particle with electric charge Particle with electric charge Interact by means of an electric field …but the steps happen very quickly

How do we describe the world?

The electrical nature of matter Electric charge is a fundamental property of electrons and protons. Two types of charge (+ and -) If particles have the same sign of electric charge they repel If particles have different signs of electric charge they attract The forces (attractive or repulsive) get weaker as the particles get further apart.

Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe Its very big, but full of very small things Electricity It’s everywhere! How it works There are ‘particles’ and ‘fields’ Atoms Light

Electromagnetic waves Electricity Heat How it all fits together… Atoms

Protons, neutrons and electrons normally exist inside atoms

Atoms are small Think of a millimetre Atoms 1 mm 0.1 mm 0.01 mm0.001 mm Atoms are roughly 10,000 times smaller than this…

Atoms There are VAST numbers of atoms in everything. In just a handful of anything there are about the same number of atoms as there are grains of sand on all the beaches and deserts on Earth combined Photo Credit: ID =

The electrical nature of matter Atoms Internal Structure

How are atoms made? proton Interact by the short range ‘strong’ force – not electrical Electrical Repulsion

How are atoms made?

Atomic Structure Electrons ‘orbit’ around the outside of an atom very light possess a property called electric charge Nucleus occupies the centre very tiny and very heavy protons have a property called electric charge neutrons have no electric charge

Atomic Structure Nuclei (+) attract electrons (-) until the atom as a whole is neutral The electrons repel each other They try to get as far away from each other as they can, a and as near to the nucleus as they can

The electrical nature of matter Chemistry Atoms, Elements & Molecules

Atoms &… The Periodic Table Atoms with up to about 82 protons can be stable. A material made up of a single type of atom is called an element C Carbon 6 Protons 6 Electrons

H Atoms &… Molecules H2H2 N N A molecule is a collection of atoms stuck together electrically. H H O H2OH2O H N2N2

Atoms &… Ions A ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained an electron. OHH − +

The electrical nature of matter Solids

Atoms in solids Atoms can be imaged on a surface Photo Credit: Patrick Josephs Franks: NPL

The electrical nature of matter In ‘normal’ matter, there are equal quantities of positive and negative charge so that there is no attraction or repulsion of objects. Object 1 Object 2

The electrical nature of matter Mechanical Properties

Atoms and mechanics Whenever two materials touch, the forces between them are the forces between the outer (valence) electrons All mechanical forces are actually electrical in nature Object 1 Object 2

The electrical nature of matter Conductors and Insulators

Atoms in solids Solids are made up out of lots atoms very close together. If the electrons can’t move easily from atom to atom: The material is called an insulator If the electrons can move easily from atom to atom: The material is called a conductor

The electrical nature of matter Magnetic Forces

Magnetism Electric & Magnetic We call forces ‘magnetic’ when both particles are moving with respect to us. They are still electrical in origin. This was first explained by Albert Einstein in his Theory of Relativity

The electrical nature of matter How the balloon affected the paper…

Odd phenomena… A balloon and a piece of paper

Odd phenomena… A balloon and a piece of paper

Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe Its very big, but full of very small things Electricity It’s everywhere! How it works There are ‘particles’ and ‘fields’ Atoms They’re everywhere! And they are all electrical! Light

The electrical nature of matter How is the electrical force transmitted from one charged particle to another?

How do charged particles interact? It’s a three-step process… Particle with electric charge Particle with electric charge Interact by means of an electric field …but the steps happen very quickly

The nature of interactions (1) Analogy with water level and water waves

Tonight’s talk The scale and size of the Universe Its very big, but full of very small things Electricity It’s everywhere! How it works There are ‘particles’ and ‘fields’ Atoms They’re everywhere! And they are all electrical! Light An electro-magnetic wave

Electromagnetic waves Electricity Heat How it all fits together… Atoms

Summary Physics concepts span vast ranges of mass, length and time. The universe has two kinds of objects in it: Matter and Fields All matter (on Earth) is made of atoms which interact electrically. In matter as we normally experience it, there are equal amounts of the two types of electric charge and their effects cancel If we add or remove some particles with electric charge from matter then we can see the electrical effects.

Homework Activity: Remember when you have your breakfast that you are eating protons and neutrons coated with tasty electrons. Research: What is the ‘frequency’ of your favourite radio station? Don’t just get the number (98.9, 198 etc.) get the units as well! They should be in Hertz Kilohertz Megahertz

One minute feedback On the back of your handouts! Rip off the last sheet Please write down what is in on your mind RIGHT NOW! A question? OK A comment? OK A surprising thought in your mind? I’d love to hear it!

On-line Resources This PowerPoint ™ presentation. Handouts as a pdf file blog.protonsforbreakfast.org Links to other sites & resources Me going on about things

See you next week! Don’t forget your pencils and badges! Goodnight