Christmas lecture: How brilliant ideas are born With "Physics on Saturday Morning"

The Physics Institutes at Technische Universität Braunschweig invite you to enter the fascinating world of physics. At this popular science event series “Physics on Saturday Morning”, schoolchildren, parents and anyone interested in physics can learn about exciting new research findings. On Saturday, 13 December, scientists Professor Andreas Hördt and Professor Stefan Süllow will present “A Physical Christmas Story” and demonstrate how brilliant ideas can arise through experiments. Admission is free.

But how do great physicists actually come up with their ideas? What led Newton to discover gravity, Einstein to develop the theory of relativity and Lise Meitner to uncover nuclear fission? Was it coincidence, genius, or simply hard work? None of the above – it was Father Christmas!

The right gift at the right time, or a hidden clue, provided the decisive impetus for many discoveries. Without these, the history of physics would have been very different. This story recounts how exactly this happened in the cases of Newton, Einstein and Meitner, as well as many others, and illustrates this with simple experiments.

Suitable for children aged 8 and above.

The lecture on 13 December 2025, 10:30, will take place in the physics lecture hall UP 3.007 below the Audimax (TU Braunschweig, Universitätsplatz 3).

Further dates for “Physics on Saturday Morning”

10 January 2026 | Left or right: Why mirror images are crucial in nature (Prof. Dr. Dirk Menzel)
17 January 2026 | Do light signals connect light years? Photonic networks in space (Prof. Dr. Admela Jukan and Prof. Dr. Andrés Gómez)
24 January 2026, 10:00 – 14:00 | Student information day for anyone interested in physics – Discover the fascination of physics: You are cordially invited to the Physics Centre at TU Braunschweig
31 January 2026 | Crystals, skies, masterpieces – viewing art museums through the eyes of a physicist (Dr Marc Scheffler)