Singing Glasses

Hot on the heels of the Cheltenham Science Festival I went to open the 31st Sci-Tech conference in Redditch, and was honoured to do so. Joining me was Guitar Physicist and winner of Famelab, Dr Mark Lewney.

While we were expecting about one hundred sixth form students and future scientists, various factors, not least the terrible weather, meant that we were down to about 50%. However, this did not stop me demonstrating a little bit of neuroscience with them. We covered some history of magnetic fields and electricity and then focussed on how we use resonance to batter hydrogen nuclei in an MRI scanner.

It was the first time I tried the pop quiz which required each team to cause their wine glasses to sing. There is nothing funnier than seeing students arrive at the answer and then compete frantically trying to make it resonate. I was actually influenced by watching a glass harmonica played beautifully at the ‘overambitious demo challenge’ at the Cheltenham Science festival, which I really must still write about.

More information can be found courtesy of the Redditch Advertiser. You should be able to read it here.