To the nearest femtosecond

02/01/2024 10:00
31/12/2025 17:00
MIH Galerie

How long does one second last? Who decides what time it is? The scholarly quest for precision has been at the heart of watchmaking innovation since the 17th century. Oscillators are key to developments in this field: the pendulum, the spring balance and, later, quartz, have all increased timekeeping accuracy.

From the Second World War, physicists took over from astronomers and horologists in the pursuit of accurate time measurement. From 1967, the second was no longer defined via astronomical observations such as the passage of the sun across the zenith, but by measuring a microscopic phenomenon: the oscillation of caesium atoms.

The new MIH exhibition space, which will be open to the public from 8th June, is entitled To the nearest femtosecond! A femtosecond, or 0.000000000000001 of a second, corresponds to the imprecision in the ticking of a modern atomic clock

In addition to the standard trilingual texts (fr-de-en) with differentiated reading levels, the visitor can also use an audio guide in five languages (fr-de-en-it-es) designed to provide clear yet detailed information on the complex objects on display.
The younger public and their families are also catered for. Kids can get into character by slipping on a physicist's white coat and following the exhibition using a guide designed as a textbook.

A visit guide to the destination of children from 10 years old is available for the exhibition.

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