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Physics buskers embark on national festival tour
Institute of Physics
PR18(07)
Thu, 14 June 2007
Most festival-goers are open minded about the acts they’re going to see, but are they ready for this year’s act with a difference – Physics in the Field? The Institute of Physics is sending a crack team of physics buskers to four festivals this summer to challenge festival-goers’ perceptions of physics.
First stop for the Physics in the Field team of buskers is the East of England Country Show in Peterborough (15-17 June). Over the course of the three days, they will perform eye-catching physics tricks to an unsuspecting audience.
Physics tricks are hand-held demonstrations using things you can find at home. Some are messy, some are noisy, but all of them are crowd pleasing and help illustrate different areas of physics. Festival-goers will also be encouraged to find out how to do the tricks themselves and give on-the-spot performances to their friends and families.
And for those festival-goers who can’t get enough, all the tricks performed by the team, including making balloon kebabs, launching Alka Seltzer rockets or turning pints of water upside down over a friend’s head without drenching them, are available on www.physics.org with full explanations.
“It’s brilliant working with the festival goers because they are really interested in what we are doing and want to find out more,” said Liz Jeavans, outreach officer at the Institute of Physics. “What is really satisfying is when you show someone a trick, and they relate it to something they have come across in everyday life – but just hadn’t thought of it as physics before.”
The tricks are not just for young children, as the buskers will be making every effort to get adults involved as well. “We know that once adults have a go at the tricks, they’re hooked and go on to tell their friends about them. This really helps us in our aim of taking physics to people who wouldn’t actively seek it out,” said Caitlin Watson, the Institute’s physics in society manager.
After the East of England Country Show, the buskers will be heading for the Bradford Mela and Highland Games in July, before a final performance at the Green Man Festival in August.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact before the festival, Charlie Wallace, Press Office, the Institute of Physics, Tel: +44(0)20 7470 4896 or e-mail: charlie.wallace@iop.org.During the Festival (15-17 June), please contact Liz Jeavans, outreach officer, on +44(0)7771 507 713.
2. Journalists are welcome to visit Physics in the Field at the East of England Country Show to interview the physics buskers or to take photographs. For passes and access to the show’s press office, please contact Vicky Guy, marketing and communications executive. Tel: +44(0) 1733 234451 or e-mail: vguy@eastofengland.org.uk.
3. Images are also available before the show of the physics buskers in action. To receive jpegs, please contact Charlie Wallace, Press Office, the Institute of Physics, Tel: +44(0)20 7470 4896 or e-mail: charlie.wallace@iop.org.
4. Physics in the Field will be attending:
• East of England Country Show (audience numbers 100 000) 15-17 June at the East of England Showground, Peterborough.
• Bradford Mela (audience numbers 130 000) 7-8 July in Bradford, Yorkshire.
• Highland Games (audience numbers 20 000) 21-22 July in Inverness, Scotland
• Green Man Festival (audience numbers 5000) 17-19 July in Brecon Beacons, mid-Wales.
Physics in the Field was organised following the success of Einstein @ Glastonbury in 2005 and Physics at the Green Man Festival in Brecon Beacons, mid-Wales, last year.
At both events, although festival-goers were surprised to find physics at a music festival, they were keen and willing to take part and find out more. Some festival-goers commented on how their attitudes towards physics changed after they took part in the activities.
5. Physics.org is a searchable database of physics resources, which matches a person’s questions, ages and knowledge to handpicked sites.
6. The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently over 35 000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.
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