Oshman Family JCC

Learn from a Stanford graduate student how the smallest of particles function in technology we use in our daily lives.

Quantum mechanics describes the physics of the very small - on the scale of atoms or even smaller particles. We’ll briefly discuss some of the strange and non-intuitive properties of quantum mechanics. For example, if you shoot an electron towards a screen with two slits in it, the electron will go through both slits at once! Then we will talk about how quantum mechanics is needed to understand many materials that go into technology we use in our daily lives. As two examples, we will discuss semiconductors and their importance in high-tech, and then superconductors and how they are used in MRI machines.

Biography
Beth Nowadnick is a graduate student in physics at Stanford University. In her research, she does numerical simulations of high- temperature superconductors - exotic materials that can conduct electrical current with absolutely zero resistance. She grew up near Seattle, WA and did her undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics at Stanford. When not doing physics, Beth enjoys running, hiking, traveling, trying new recipes and playing the harp.