• Question: What's the best question you have ever been asked?

    Asked by anon-202058 to Sophia, Meirin, George, Emily, Andy on 7 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Meirin Oan Evans

      Meirin Oan Evans answered on 7 Mar 2019:

      At the start of I’m a Scientist, someone asked me “E=MC2, but why is the c squared?”. Though I knew the answer, I really had to think hard about how to explain it in an accessible way. I spoke with my friends to ask them what they thought of my answer before sending it!

    • Photo: Andy Buckley

      Andy Buckley answered on 7 Mar 2019:

      There’s a student in my uni classes who asks really excellent questions, usually all over the place in terms of topic, but very probing. Last October, after I’d taught a lecture about refraction of light and talked about why the wavelength of the light changes and not the frequency, they came to find me a few days later and asked what would happen if the wave was already in place, and then you “switched on” the refracting material.

      That’s a great physics question, especially because there’s a simple answer that involves no calculations but is intimately connected to the role of symmetry in physics. I won’t spell it out here, but have done so in another place if you’re interested: https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-lights-wavelength-change-and-not-frequency-during-refraction/answer/Andy-Buckley-2?

    • Photo: Emily Lewis

      Emily Lewis answered on 11 Mar 2019:

      Every time someone asks me to explain my work it makes me think about things a lot harder, so I like talking about it with different people to make sure I understand it myself!

      Also on another askascientist question I was asked whether my work helps the environment and about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power. I like this because people should always ask difficult questions 🙂 and it shows that they have an awareness and care for wider issues like climate change and environmental impact.

      Best non-science question I was asked recently was my housemate asking if I wanted pancakes for breakfast. I did and they were delicious.

    • Photo: Sophia Pells

      Sophia Pells answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      I went to talk to some school students once and one of them asked me what light would look like if we were travelling at the same speed as it. I still don’t know the answer!

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