Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

Christmas Family Lecture
Joint lecture with the York Museums Trust

A Physics Pantomime: Ellie the Electron’s Adventure in the Quantum Circus

Dr Yvette Hancock, Dept of Physics, University of York

‘Ellie the Electron and the Quantum Circus’ will come to life as a physics pantomime on January 2 at The Yorkshire Museum. The play, written by Yvette Hancock from the Department of Physics at The University of York, is based on her children’s book, which covers quantum physics concepts threaded through the exciting tale of an electron who becomes a star in Mr. Pauli’s Quantum Circus. The play will be performed as part of the joint Yorkshire Philosophical Society and York Museums Trusts’ Christmas Family Lecture, and has been sponsored by the Institute of Physics, Yorkshire Branch. Children and adults who are young at heart are particularly welcome to attend!

Report
by Alan Owen

An audience of more than 200 people including many children of all ages were presented with an imaginary journey of an electron moving through an electron microscope in search of nano data. This was ingeniously presented as a pantomime with Ellie (Dr Yvette Hancock) spinning her way up to different levels of the Tempest Anderson Hall when zapped by different coloured lights wielded by Einstein, before being accelerated to her goal by Mad Mike (the electron microscope). Mean Mr. Pauli (ringmaster) ensured that characters moved according to set rules. The characters and music were all played by postgraduate members and staff of York University Physics Department. It was followed by an explanatory illustrated talk by Dr Hancock about the science involved and with plenty of testing questions throughout from the young in the audience.

Sponsored by York Museums Trust