Very “physical” workshop for children, at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris

All year round, the Cité des Enfants offers discovery workshops on the environment, maths, biology and even astronomy. Today is a workshop on quantum physics.

Two juniors, Mona and Léo followed Isabelle Leroux. She is a scientific mediator at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie. And according to Isabelle, “we can really have fun talking about science!”

“I offer some pretty funny experiments with liquid nitrogen, a product that we use to burn warts, explains Isabelle to the children. It’s very, very cold: its temperature reaches -196 degrees Celsius! It is found in the air we breathe, in the form of gas. Here I have it in liquid form. And when it turns into gas, it bubbles. Like when water boils. When liquid nitrogen is poured onto the carpet, it immediately turns back into gas. And when liquid nitrogen meets hot water it creates an explosion of clouds. There’s a cloud factory before your eyes!”

“We could say that we touched a cloud”, Mona and Léo enthuse.

And nitrogen has other properties, particularly when we put it in contact with magnets. This is called superconduction. And here we are, facing a small train placed on a circuit whose rails are made up of magnets. By cooling them with liquid nitrogen, this causes a levitation phenomenon!

“All these experiences are great, it makes me want to work at the Cité des Sciences later!”, Mona and Léo smile. And as the scientific mediator reminds us: “My job is to make science fun and wonderful.” Successful bet !

IN PRACTICE

Science and Industry museum,

30, avenue Corentin Cariou, 19th / M° Porte de la Villette, Porte de Pantin, Paris