The Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre is Europe’s largest outdoor event aimed to promote science. Every year, it attracts crowds of visitors to Warszawa. Scientific institutions, universities, research institutes, museums, cultural institutions, and foundations related to science and science clubs present their achievements and reveal the behind-the-scenes aspects of their everyday work. They comprehensibly present science to audiences of various ages, with the aid of experiments, demonstrations and interactive exhibits.
Traditionally, our institute presents the stand “Low temperature physics” containing a number of spectacular demonstrations with liquid nitrogen. In 2014, the stand was supported by EAGLE and promoted the Project. Because this year the leading subject of the Picnic is “Time”, we have extended our presentation by precise time measurements.
The list of main presentations was as follows:
- 1. Mechanical properties of various bodies at cryogenic temperatures.
- 2. Measurements of very low temperatures (including: dry ice, liquid nitrogen and liquid helium).
- 3. Principle of operation of refrigerators.
- 4. Charcoal vacuum pump evacuates Magdeburg hemispheres.
- 5. Is it possible to measure the metal resistance by a watch? (eddy currents induced in various metals)
- 6. How fast I can hear something ? (measurements of sound velocity in air and in helium)
- 7. Registration of very short time periods on digital oscilloscope.
- 8. Very precise measurements of time (from pendulum to atomic clock)
