• Question: which is your favorite experiement

    Asked by varghesegeorge to Sam, Ben, Clare, Ezzy, Mario on 12 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by wheatleypollington, bussellash, lushstokes.
    • Photo: Sam Vinko

      Sam Vinko answered on 11 Mar 2012:


      Historically perhaps an experiment to verify the theory of relativity: two scientists placed a couple of very precise clocks on two aeroplanes, and kept a third ‘control’ clock on the ground. One plane flew westward around the world and circled it twice, the other did the same but flew out eastward instead. General relativity predicts that time should run differently on each plane compared to a stationary clock on Earth: and thats exactly what they saw, proving that time does run differently base on how fast you travel! Its not science fiction, mind blowing!

    • Photo: Elizabeth Pearson

      Elizabeth Pearson answered on 11 Mar 2012:


      My favourite experiment that other people have done is probably the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment. A couple of the Apollo missions left a reflector on the moon. You can now bounce a laser off that reflector and by timing how long it takes to get the reflection back you can work out the distance to the moon really accurately. It’s how they found out the moon is moving away at 38mm a year.

      As an astronomer though I guess our experiments are observations, in which case my favourite one is the one that gives me a trip somewhere sunny!

    • Photo: Mario Campanelli

      Mario Campanelli answered on 12 Mar 2012:


      Andersen’s discovery of antimatter using cosmic rays. It is an apparatus that could be contained in a table top, and yet it changed physics forever. Today we need super-big colliders and collaborations of thousands of people working for many many years to advance science

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