A quantum physicist embarks on a journey, armed with a skateboard and a small toy fox. It sounds like the setting for a joke by Carl Barron.
Key points:
- A retired quantum physicist walks from Broken Hill to Adelaide
- Dr. Peter Hill would like to see a more comprehensive curriculum taught in schools
- Travel with a little toy fox mounted on a skateboard
Instead, it is the story of Dr. Peter Hill, who tries to raise awareness about his field of specialization and change the way it is taught in schools.
The retired scientist decided to walk the 500-mile journey to raise money for the Royal Society of South Australia.
I hoped that more school students would have an up-to-date curriculum when it came to quantum physics.
“Essentially, it’s not being taught at all,” Dr. Hill said.
“What is taught in school is what is taught in 1917.”
Dr. Peter Hill leaves the dusty plains of the red soil of the far west of NSW. (Provided by Odyssey Films.)
Dr. Hill said it was a personal passion to help educate more children in quantum physics, because he believed it would help them better understand other areas of society.
“Quantum physics describes a lot of useful things, such as how computers work or how solar cells work … and you’d really get lost if you didn’t have quantum physics,” he said.
Not traveling alone
Dr. Hill is not making the trip on his own, with his faithful companion Jeremy Bronfox riding on his skateboard.
“A Bronwyn friend, who is a crochet ninja, or a brain, or whatever they call it, created it,” he said.
“He has a crochet fox bride in Adelaide he will see, named Baroness Lynette Von Foxhoven.”
Jeremy Bronfox will be protected from the elements inside his locked house, a former batter. (Provided by: Odysssey Films)
Dr. Hill hoped the weather would be fine during his trip because he hadn’t brought a tent with him when he slept badly.
“I have a Kmart sleeping bag. I also have a tarp if it rains, but I hope not,” he said.
Dr. Hill trained for his 200-mile walk from Broken Hill to Wilcannia, as well as shorter walks northwest to Silverton.
He planned to do most of his walk at night, for safety reasons.
“I’m thinking of walking for six hours, then resting for two hours and repeating if I can,” Dr. Hill said.
“I have to walk a lot at night so you can see the trucks in the distance.”
Dr. Hill’s walk coincides with an important milestone in quantum physics: the discovery of quantum particles.
“It’s the 100th anniversary of the ‘No Back’ experiment that took place in Germany in 1922,” he said.
Dr. Hill’s trip began in Broken Hill on Wednesday night and arrived in Cockburn on the SA-NSW border on Thursday.
He will then travel to Olary, then Manna Hill, Yunta, Oodla Wirra, Terrowie, Hallett, Donkey, Saddleworth, and finally Adelaide.
You can find more details about his travels on his Facebook page, 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics, or on his YouTube channel, drhillteacher.