Grade levels: Adult

Long before the emergence of planets, stars, or galaxies, the universe consisted of an exploding quantum soup of “elementary” particles. Encoded in this formless, shapeless soup were the seeds of cosmic structure, which over billions of years grew into the complex universe we observe today. Prof. Kolb reveals how the connection between the “inner space” of the quantum and the “outer space” of the cosmos may hold the key to the nature of the dark matter holding our galaxy together and the mysterious dark energy pulling it apart.

Is the world ready for this upgrade? The very foundation of computer science is changing. As Moore’s Law draws to a close, rules of quantum physics are taking over. Learn how leading researchers are using counterintuitive effects, such as superposition, in their quest to build ultra-powerful quantum computers. Prof. Laflamme explains how quantum particles behave, are controlled and, ultimately, can be used to calculate.

In the recent past, rapid scientific and technological developments have had tremendous impact on human society. The personal computer, internet and mobile telephones changed the world and shrank our planet. These developments are vastly different from the forecasts by science fiction authors who promised us space travel and intelligent humanoid robots. Could scientists have done a better forecasting job? What can we say about the future now? Nature’s laws are very strict but also show gaps that might promise fantastic possibilities for a scientific future, even within our lifetime.

In 1905, Albert Einstein published several ground-breaking papers, including one on quantum physics for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. Despite this, Einstein remained a critic of quantum theory his entire life. He did not accept the role played by randomness, the phenomenon of entanglement or the notion of complementarity. Since then, a number of experiments have confirmed aspects of quantum theory and given rise to a new field – quantum information science – where randomness, entanglement and complementarity are applied to process information in novel ways.

International researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have embarked on one of science’s greatest adventures. With its very high energy, the particle collider will explore the mysteries surrounding the smallest particles of matter. It may also pierce secrets that the universe has hidden since the early stages of the Big Bang, such as the nature of dark matter and the origin of matter itself. It is the largest scientific experiment ever attempted and the complex international efforts to bring it to life, including Canada’s involvement, are part of this presentation.

Do ideas about information and reality inspire fruitful new approaches to the hardest problems of modern physics? What can we learn about the paradoxes of quantum mechanics, the beginning of the universe and our understanding of black holes by thinking about the very essence of information? The answers to these questions are surprising and enlightening, but also controversial. The topic of information within physics has involved some of the 20th century’s greatest scientists in long-running intellectual battles that continue to the present day. In this special debate, hosted by the CBC’s Bob McDonald of ‘Quirks and Quarks’, you will enjoy a lively discussion between four prominent physicists who have thought long and hard about these questions.

Probabilities and randomness arise whenever we are not sure what will happen next. They apply to everything from lottery jackpots to airplane crashes, email spam to insurance policies, and medical studies to election polls. Prof. Rosenthal’s exploration of odds and oddities will explain how a “Probability Perspective” can shed new light on many familiar situations in our everyday lives, and how computer algorithms which use randomness can be used to address problems in many branches of science.