Surrey Networks Study Day

EINSTEIN 101 & HIS CONTINUING LEGACY

From 9.30am until 4pm

At The Menuhin Hall

Cobham Road, Stoke d'Abernon, KT11 3QQ

Cost: £10

Organiser: Surrey Networks / http://u3asites.org.uk/surreyu3anetwork

Speaker: Dr Roger Luther

An elementary introduction to Einstein’s contributions to modern physics, together with a brief look at the life of the man himself. On the 101st year since he published his theory of General Relativity - spectacularly confirmed in Feb 2016 with the discovery of gravitational waves - we will look at the entire range of work of this iconic scientist. No previous knowledge of maths or science is required

Programme

9.30 Registration

10.00 Einstein’s life, focussing on his “annus mirabilis” of 1905, with the discovery of Special Relativity, the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion and the existence of atoms

10.30 Coffee / tea

11.00 General Relativity - gravity as the bending of space-time, leading to ideas of black holes, the Big Bang and gravitational waves. Relativity and your Satnav!

12.30 Lunch - Bring your own - tea/coffee available

1.30 Einstein and Quantum Theory - an uneasy relationship. From being one of its instigators, to becoming one of its chief critics, Einstein was very active in the development of this theory. We will look at the EPR experiment, the meaning of Quantum Theory, and the Multiverse

2.30 Tea / coffee

3.00 Recent developments in Relativity, including worm-holes and M-theory. Questions & discussion

4.00 Departure

Speaker – Roger Luther is a part-time lecturer at Sussex University, having taught at secondary school level for the first half of his career. He has had a life-long interest in cosmology and theoretical physics, and has lectured to various lay audiences on these topics. He is active in his own local U3A in Sussex, running groups on maths, science-and-religion, and cryptic crosswords. You may also have seen him on Mastermind in 2008!

Full Programme and Registration Form. Please visit the Surrey Network website

To assure your place send the slip below, as soon as possible, with a cheque for £10 (non-U3A guest £12) payable to 'Surrey U3A Network', to John Kennedy – U3A, 20 Greville Park Road, Ashtead, KT21 2QT 01372 273561, surreyU3Astudyday@btinternet.com. Enclose a SAE or your e-mail address for confirmation. Fees are not normally refundable. 

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