On Wednesday, February 26, the Institute of Physics Belgrade welcomed its youngest visitors, kindergarteners from the Vesela Planeta preschool in Žarkovo. Researchers designed a special program tailored to their age, thus effectively making it their first physics class. The Institute’s researchers Desanka Topalović and Dr Dejan Đokić demonstrated several experiments for the children through which they introduced the world of physics in a remarkable and exciting manner.
Most of the questions revolved around the states of matter—what they are, how this knowledge can help turn Coca-Cola into ice cream using liquid nitrogen, and why, at the Institute, the word “plasma” has nothing to do with biscuits.
Through a discussion on what physics encompasses, the young explorers learned how laundry detergent washes clothes, how to inflate a balloon using kitchen supplies and other scientific tricks. Little guests of the Institute expressed quite an interest, curiosity and a healthy dose of suspicion, before ultimately admitting their desire to return to the Institute. Some of them even showed interest in pursuing physics after the first successful lesson.
In addition to its commitment to science and innovations, the Institute of Physics, the first national institute of the Republic of Serbia, has been dedicated to education and dissemination of scientific findings along with science popularization among people of all ages. Organized visits of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, as well as university students and adults, are a segment of ongoing efforts of the Institute to fulfill its role as a national institute.
Photos by: Bojan Džodan