Why there’s nothing better than a good physics demonstration! - Prof Neil Downie

Despite what many people think, science and engineering are often hugely creative endeavours – and a great way to draw out that creativity is to make and play with stuff.

Once you've redesigned or rebuilt something that already works, you become more confident in your abilities and start to get a real “feel” for stuff. You want to try new things and start to believe you can apply your theoretical knowledge too. That’s why novel projects, are so important.

Students can’t cheat by finding “the answer” on the Internet, in a textbook or from friends – and so are forced to think.  Teachers like these projects too as they encourage discussion and boost understanding. 

Take apart a photocopier, for example, and you’ll find lasers, sensors, scanners and steam-bubble ink-jet heads, as well as curious assemblies of mirrors and lenses, plus ingenious systems of rollers and catches to move paper around. And if the copier breaks down, perhaps you can actually fix it yourself. More likely, you can’t – but you can still have fun figuring out how it’s made and how it works!

- From an article written by Prof Neil Downie in Physics World magazine. 

Prof Neil Downie is head of the sensors group at Air Products, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK and is a Royal Academy of Engineering visiting professor at the University of Surrey.