In order to stimulate the enthusiasm of young people to learn and explore science and ignite their scientific dreams, from July 18th to 19th, the Anhui Provincial Science and Technology Museum launched two quantum-themed science popularization activities - looking for "Schrödinger's cat", and simultaneously conducted online live broadcasts. Through a variety of novel and interesting forms of science and education, a "science and technology feast" was delivered to young people.
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Let's go, let's go to the quantum world together! 》
I believe many people have heard of "Schrödinger's cat", but most people don't know that it is actually a famous thought experiment proposed by physicist Schrödinger to prove the incompleteness of quantum mechanics under macroscopic conditions. The film vividly and interestingly tells the story of the protagonist "Old Horse" who travels through time and space to find his pet kitten, and in the course of the expedition, he meets many famous scientists and learns quantum science knowledge through interaction with them. At the viewing scene, the children were attracted by the dramatic plot and followed the protagonist of the film to explore the secret of quantum science. The film also uses a variety of creative animation experiments to enable children to naturally learn and memorize knowledge during the viewing process, which has the educational effect of "moisturizing things silently".
Visit the "Quantum Exploration" exhibition hall
Technology leads the future
What is light? What is matter made of? Why is glass transparent? Why do some objects conduct electricity? The questioning of natural phenomena as children eventually leads to the infinite exploration of the microcosm. In order to unravel the mysteries of the microscopic world and seek ways to apply these laws to the macroscopic world, quantum mechanics came into being. From "photoelectric effect" to "wave-particle controversy", the narrator introduced quantum theory and the current application and development of quantum technology to the students in combination with the rich exhibits in the exhibition hall, and further interpreted the "past and present life" of quantum mechanics in an easy-to-understand way.
Laser is another major invention of mankind since the 20th century after nuclear energy, computers and semiconductors, and is known as "the fastest knife", "the most accurate ruler" and "the brightest light". The exhibit "Einstein and the Laser" tells the audience about the scientific principles of lasers and the relationship between Einstein and lasers through mechanical multimedia interaction. At the scene of the in-depth exploration of science classes, the magical science experiments attracted the cheers of the students present, and the entire exhibition hall became the "second classroom" for the children to learn.
This event is one of the high-quality courses of national digital literacy and skills training carefully created by the Anhui Provincial Science and Technology Museum, which broadens the scientific horizons of young people and improves their scientific literacy and innovation ability through educational activities. It is reported that the Provincial Science and Technology Museum will continue to carry out a series of quantum-themed boutique activities in the summer, and will hold the Mozi satellite-ground docking scientific experiment in August, guiding children to enter science, love science, and explore the quantum world through rich scientific exploration activities.
Explanation of the term: Schrödinger's cat
Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment proposed by the famous Austria physicist Schrödinger. If a cat is kept in an airtight container with a small amount of radium and cyanide, there is a chance that the radium will decay, and if the radium decays, it will trigger a mechanism to break the bottle containing cyanide, and the cat will die; If radium does not decay, the cat survives. According to the theory of quantum mechanics, since radioactive radium is in the superposition of decay and non-decay, cats should be in the superposition of dead cats and live cats. This cat, which is both dead and alive, is the so-called "Schrödinger cat". However, in reality there can be no cat that is both dead and alive, and the result must be known only after the container is opened. This experiment attempts to explain the problem of the quantum superposition principle at the microscopic scale from the macroscopic scale, and cleverly connects the existence form of the microscopic matter with the macroscopic cat whether it is a particle or a wave after observation, so as to verify the existence form of the quantum at the time of observation.
This story is expressed in the exhibit "Schrödinger's Cat" at the Science and Technology Museum.