The scientific concepts of light, polarization and optics will be explained through a number of experiments, including creating a giant soap bubble, during the Feb. 23 CU Wizards show "Liquid Crystals."
University of Colorado at Boulder physics faculty members Noel Clark and Joseph Maclennan and chemistry Professor David Walba will present the show at 9:30 a.m. in Duane Physics room G1B30.
The free hour-long show, which combines physics, chemistry and engineering, is intended primarily for students in grades five through nine. CU Wizards is an annual series that introduces topics in astronomy, chemistry and physics.
Liquid crystals are goo-like organic materials made of rod-shaped molecules that are sensitive to the polarization of light, Clark said. They are materials that in many ways are between solid and liquid states.
The wizards will demonstrate the optical and electrical properties of liquid crystals and show how they are used in today's high-tech society to display information in items like laptop computers and digital watches.
During the show, the audience also will have a chance to see liquid crystals in action with demonstrations of a 20-foot-high bubble and parents taking on the role of liquid crystal molecules. They also will learn what it means to polarize light waves and how solid materials can change the polarization of light, while getting a quick lesson about colors.
Clark, Maclennan and Walba are researchers in the Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, an interdisciplinary research unit at CU-Boulder that is one of the world's leading crystal research centers. The center is funded in part by a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center grant.
Free parking for the Feb. 23 show is available in lot 169 northeast of Folsom Stadium off Folsom Street, lot 396 off Stadium Drive, lot 378 southeast of Folsom Stadium, lot 436 east of the Engineering Center and lot 308 south of Regent Drive and west of Kittredge Loop Road. Parking is also available in the Euclid Avenue Autopark for a nominal fee.
For information about the CU Wizards series call (303) 492-6952 or visit the Web site at .