Physics tour

On the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Étincelles du Palais de la Découverte is exceptionally offering a presentation of physical sciences in English.

A special journey into some of our best physics experiments!

For summer festivities, we take you to a nice ride from electrostatics to superconductivity, going through electromagnetism and, if lucky, some thermodynamics also. Explanations fully provided in English. Be welcome!

For this hour together, we’ll go through some basics of electrostatics: talking about conductors, insulators and electrons. We’ll definitely make sparks, and see your hair rise over your head maybe! We’ll also make glowing electric discharges at low pressure. The link between electricity and magnetic field being made, we’ll see some magnets levitate thanks to superconductors that acquire special properties at low temperature. Hopefully we’ll see the triple point of nitrogen that occurs at -210°C. 

A science explainer will do the experiments, provide some explanations and let you ask questions. 

Rich program that we hope you’ll enjoy!