Microscopes of Physics is a hands on exhibition, organized by INFN (Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics). It will be hosted at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina for a period of about three months, from 6 August 2006 to 31 October 2006
“The Microscopes of Physics” aims to explain what we know about the infinitely small and the infinitely large, using the instruments adopted by physicists to investigate these two worlds. A special space is set aside for inter-disciplinary applications of nuclear and sub-nuclear physics. The exhibition includes interactive exhibits and simulations that make it particularly suitable for schools.
In order to observe the microscopic world, at infinitesimal distances, neither the optic microscopes, nor the modern electronic microscopes - which employ electrons of high energy to “illuminate” and “show” the infinitesimal - are suitable. The more curious we are in looking beyond the visible matter, the higher is the energy we need. The giant particle accelerators were born from the demand of extremely high energies: through the use of accelerators we can “see" components of matter millions and millions smaller than the structures studied using the first microscopes, four hundred years ago.