Sidmouth Science Festival
Saturday 12th October 2019
Pam Hamer
While the London based members were exhibiting at New Scientist Live and the AES Exhibition, members from the west put on a display in the Methodists Hall in Sidmouth on Super Science Saturday. The other exhibitors in the hall were ‘The Maths School, Exeter’ ‘The Royal Society of Chemistry’, ‘The Medical School, University of Exeter’ and ‘Institute of Civil Engineers’.
Jeremy Poole brought a microscope/video system and showed the nasty parts of insects and wasps like the fangs, stings and cutting mouthpieces.
David Spears brought a video system and a compound microscope and showed a range of samples including some of his old slides. His pet woodlice, slug and escapologist worm, were loved by the children.
Pam Hamer had a polarising microscope to show some common things about the house like electrostatic dusters, mesh tea bags, ordinary tea bags and J cloth – all of which show interesting patterns in polarised light. This fitted in with the maths people next door who were showing the polarising effect of sellotape as examples of real maths where the explanation needed vector analysis.
Despite the drizzle outside, or perhaps because of it, we were very busy all day with over 300 people coming into the hall.
Quekett display
Jeremy Poole with a visitor
David Spears with a visitor
Report and photographs by Pam Hamer