How much science do you remember from school? Do you know how a simple electric motor works, or what the Doppler effect is?  Basic physics is taught early in schools, but is easily forgotten. 

To learn some basic science, we travel this week to the Royal Institution (RI) in London, one of the world’s oldest and established venues for scientific education and research. It hosts the annual Christmas lectures, which have cemented its reputation for demonstrations of how science works. Good demonstrations can play a big role in making abstract science concepts come alive. 

Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, meets author and physics teacher Alom Shaha at the RI for some summer science lessons. Alok speaks to Dan Plane, head of Demonstrations at the RI, about the institution’s history and the importance of making science fun and accessible. Alom also leads Alok through a few science demos to explore some key concepts taught in schools today. 

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