Debate Chamber

Physics Summer School

University of London Union • 6th-8th August 2010 (3 days) • open to students aged 15-18.

What happened in the first second of the universe, and how do we know?

What is special about Special Relativity?

What is the Large Hadron Collider really for?

Who is Schrodinger, and why do people keep talking about his cat?

Can everything really be made up of strings?

The Physics Summer School is an intensive, accessible introduction to some of the most exciting issues in modern physics. This 3-day course covers topics ranging from astrophysics to quantum mechanics to string theory. Students will discover the competing cutting-edge theories as well as learning about the experiments and investigations physicists conduct, from the Hubble Space Telescope to the Large Hadron Collider. They will learn about the history of physics in the twentieth century and the people who transformed the discipline, and explore philosophical controversies such as disagreements over which theories are truly ’scientific’. Learning is through lectures, seminars, group activities and debates. Course leaders are tutors and graduate students specialising in many different aspects of physics.

The Physics Summer School is ideal for students considering taking Physics or a related discipline at university, as it will introduce many challenging concepts not tackled at A Level, but that you might expect to encounter as an undergraduate. The course is also designed to be accessible to non-physicists who are simply curious to discover more about the fabric of our universe and some of the thrilling experiments and discoveries currently underway.

Course Programme 2010

The Physics Summer School will include:

Astrophysics

  • The life-cycles of stars
  • Black holes
  • Dark matter
  • The Big Bang, and ongoing debates about the first seconds of the universe

Relativity

  • Einstein’s extraordinary idea
  • Time, perspective and the ‘paradoxes’ of relativity
  • Experimental verification of relativity
  • The idea of four-dimensional spacetime
  • Mass-energy equivalence

Frontiers of Particle Physics

  • Quantum mechanics:  Wave-particle duality, the Schrondinger equation, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle
  • The Standard Model
  • The Large Hadron Collider and other adventures at CERN
  • Debates in contemporary theoretical physics – string theory, loop quantum gravity, twistor theory

Physics and Philosophy

  • The philosophy of quantum mechanics
  • What counts as science? String theorists and their detractors

A poster to display or distribute in your school is available to download.

Book a place:

The price of the Physics Summer School is £195 per student for three days. Debate Chamber offers a limited number of full and partial bursaries to students who could not otherwise afford to attend. Please note that accommodation is not included, and must be arranged independently if required. Bookings for any event may be made by individual students or parents or through the school. To book a place or places at the Physics Summer School, or if you have any further questions, simply call on 0845 519 4827, email info@debatechamber.com, or use the form below.

Booking

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We will contact you soon to confirm your registration (Please contact info@debatechamber.com if you have any questions)