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The Institite of Physics Celebrates 125th Anniversary

February 10, 1999

The campaign will demonstrate that physics is central and integral to modern life. The posters placed on 'Megarears' (the back of buses) and on bus interiors will depict bright images about physics topics which will be familiar to passengers. The accompanying strapline will read 'Thanks to Physics'.

The posters will appear on London buses from mid-February and then in other regions later in the year. "Our aim is to highlight the relevance and excitement of physics to the widest possible audience," says Dr. Alun Jones, chief executive, Institute of Physics.

"Physics has transformed peoples' lives over the past 125 years," continues Dr. Jones. "Advances in all areas, from toys to telecommunications and from motor racing to medicine would have been impossible without some of the discoveries made by physicists in the last 125 years."

As part of its 125th anniversary celebrations, the Institute has also created a section on its website (www.iop.org/IOP/125) which lists 125 Physics Facts, highlighting some of the milestones achieved in physics.

Examples from the 125 Physics Facts
*It's impossible to make a decent cup of tea on top of Mount Everest or at any similar altitude. The low atmospheric pressure causes water to boil at about 80 degrees Celsius, which just isn't hot enough for tea to brew properly.

*Going to work on an egg would take far longer if it was an ostrich egg. Boiling an ostrich egg to the same soldier-dipping consistency as a hen's egg would take 33 minutes!

*Next time you down a pint, take a look at the bottom of your glass. Lager glasses often have an imprint of the brewery logo on the base. That's not just advertising - it helps to create bubbles in the lager. The raised imprint acts as a centre of nucleation for the carbon dioxide bubbles in the lager.

*The slogan, "I can't believe it's not butter", takes on a new meaning when you consider that one kilogram of butter stores as much energy between its atoms as the same quantity of the explosive, Trinitrotoluene (TNT).

*As we approach the end of the millennium, here's a sobering thought. Each of us is the same age as the Universe. The fundamental particles that make up the atoms in our cells were generated at the same time as the Universe during the Big Bang.

Herald Communications

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