Alice and Bob in Wonderland

Alice and Bob in Wonderland are animations produced by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. They are based around the questions that Alice has about the physical world and how these can lead to "powerful ideas" in physics, such as energy-mass equivalence and relativity. Topics include time travel, the structure of the atom, the age of the Universe, gravity, energy and mass. They are best suited as starting points to introduce topics within secondary physics.

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How Can Atoms Exist?

Alice wonders how a tree can exist and therefore how atoms can exist. Bob suggest that in an atom, electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom like a planet orbits the Sun. Alice explains that if that the charged electron should give off light and lost energy and spiral into the nucleus. That leads them on to...

Can We Travel through Time?

Bob explains that time slows down closer to massive bodies. Alice is lowered down towards a black hole. Bob ages differently to Alice, and when they are reunited Bob is much older than Alice – explained by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.

Why Can't We Walk through Walls?

Alice wonders why Alice can’t walk through a wall if atoms consist mostly of empty space. Bob suggests that it may be because like charges repel, but then if atoms are neutral then there would be no net charge. Alice and Bob come the conclusion that they need quantum theory to explain why solids can’t pass...

What Keeps Us Stuck to the Earth?

Alice wonders why we don’t float out into space. Their thoughts lead on to the idea that gravity is an acceleration and that they may need Einstein’s ideas of space-time to explain why they are accelerating. This clip could provide a lead in to topics such as relativity, acceleration and gravitational force. 

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