Today we looked at the Universe through the eyes of physicists and mathematicians and tried to understand how ideal geometric shapes are reflected in the structures of space, and why nature so often "chooses" perfect symmetry.
During the science festival "Erdvėlaivis Žemė" (Spaceship Earth), students from Saulė Private Gymnasium, Žirmūnai Gymnasium and the VGTU Engineering Lyceum came to visit me at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC).
Geometry in space is more than a beautiful metaphor. Look closely at the Universe and you see that the laws of physics often "draw" very clear shapes: stars and planets become almost perfect spheres, orbits become ellipses, and the surroundings of a black hole become rings of light. We also discussed bold engineering ideas – such as the space elevator: a cable stretched from Earth's equator to a counterweight beyond geostationary orbit.
The best part was seeing the students ask questions, argue and look for answers themselves – that is exactly how real interest in science begins.
The festival organisers, the public institution "Mokslas ir inovacijos visuomenei" (Science and Innovation for Society), presented me with a certificate for taking part in the science popularisation project, in which I presented events of the festival partner, Vilnius University.
Thank you to the students and the teachers who came with them. It was a pleasure!