Modern physics

Experiments you can run yourself.

Double-slit experiment with single electrons

An extension of the interference topic: single electrons build up an interference pattern, and measurement destroys it.

GPS and relativity

An extension of the time-dilation topic: without relativistic corrections GPS would be off by a dozen-odd kilometres per day.

Superconductivity and the Meissner effect

An extension of the resistance-and-temperature topic: below the critical temperature the resistance drops to zero and the magnet levitates.

The double pendulum and deterministic chaos

An extension of the pendulum topic: a minimal change in the starting conditions produces, after a short while, a completely different trajectory — even though energy is conserved.

Gravitational waves — merging black holes (LIGO)

An extension of waves and gravity: just before black holes merge, the wave frequency rises sharply (the "chirp").

Quantum entanglement and Bell's theorem

Correlations of entangled particles break the classical bound — the world is quantum (Nobel 2022).

The Higgs boson — where particles get their mass

Descriptive card: the Higgs field gives particles their mass — the stronger the coupling, the greater the mass (Nobel Prize 2013).

Neural networks — the physics behind artificial intelligence

Explainer card: the physics of spin models inspired artificial neural networks — the foundation of machine learning (Physics Nobel 2024).

“Schrödinger’s cat” — quantum superposition

A quantum superposition lasts until it is measured — observation forces a collapse to a single state (Nobel Prize in Physics 2012).