
Many particle accelerators push subatomic projectiles, such as protons, with standing radio waves, waves whose peaks and troughs stay in the same position as their electric and magnetic fields oscillate up and down and sideways.
#Physicus demo how to#
Fermilab EPE regularly features videos of exhibits on social media, and here, Akhobadze shares how to create a selection of those exhibits at home.Īkhobadze recommends that DIY activities be conducted under adult supervision.ĭon’t have space for a Large Hadron Collider at home? This simple exhibit shows how an accelerator works without the need of a 17-mile underground ring. Now, she wants to continue with the other part of her job: sharing her projects with anyone who wants to learn. With the help of her teenage daughter, Ellen, and under the watchful eye of their dog, Brownie, she created several DIY physics activities, virtual exhibits and short videos. I had a lot of time for myself, and I would spend it in our large garden exploring and building.”Īkhobadze picked the habit back up again while working for the EPE Office from home. “I was an only child,” she says, “and my grandma would watch me while both my parents were at work. Luckily, Akhobadze has a knack for creating in seclusion. Over the past year, Fermilab’s Education and Public Engagement (EPE) Office has continued to bring Fermilab science to the public by taking many of its programs virtual. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, the center is temporarily closed. Normally, the science center-located at the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory-is filled with school groups and families exploring the laws of physics through interactive exhibits. In March 2020, Ketevan Akhobadze, an exhibit developer for the Lederman Science Center, turned off the power and watched the mist disappear from the center’s cloud chamber-a simple particle detector used to teach visitors about cosmic rays.
