0:00:15.170,0:00:18.720
So, have you ever had this experience?

0:00:18.720,0:00:20.542
You're having a chat with someone

0:00:20.542,0:00:24.123
and they're telling you something[br]about a subject they're very interested in

0:00:24.123,0:00:26.060
or they know a lot about,

0:00:26.733,0:00:29.161
and you're following along.

0:00:29.161,0:00:33.302
Then, at some stage you realize you kind[br]of lost the thread of what they saying.

0:00:33.302,0:00:34.992
And then, you're standing there

0:00:34.992,0:00:38.335
and you realize you have absolutely[br]no idea what they're talking about.

0:00:38.335,0:00:40.002
(Laughter)

0:00:40.002,0:00:44.110
I had this recently with a friend[br]who knows a lot about investing.

0:00:44.110,0:00:47.031
And it's something I don't know[br]a huge amount about,

0:00:47.031,0:00:49.583
but it's very important,[br]very useful information.

0:00:49.583,0:00:55.904
But he started talking about[br]kind of diversified investment portfolio -

0:00:55.904,0:00:56.986
blah -

0:00:56.986,0:00:57.883
(Laughter)

0:00:57.883,0:01:01.814
And unfortunately, I went away[br]with no useful information.

0:01:01.814,0:01:05.266
So, I think it's a situation[br]we all are familiar with,

0:01:05.266,0:01:09.952
and fortunately there's things you can do[br]to improve this situation,

0:01:09.952,0:01:13.015
which is what I'm going[br]to talk about today.

0:01:13.015,0:01:17.293
So, I'm a scientist.[br]I work in the area of quantum physics.

0:01:17.293,0:01:21.916
And so, I've been on both sides[br]of this kind of interaction.

0:01:21.916,0:01:27.066
I've both been the guy explaining[br]very complicated material to someone,

0:01:27.066,0:01:29.076
but I've also been on the receiving end

0:01:29.076,0:01:34.788
of lots of very kind of intense scientific[br]discussions with my colleagues.

0:01:35.277,0:01:38.435
And, when this kind of breakdown[br]of communication happens,

0:01:38.435,0:01:41.276
I've noticed something interesting,

0:01:41.276,0:01:44.861
which is that, as a person[br]who's stopped understanding,

0:01:45.783,0:01:48.300
you feel kind of guilty about it.

0:01:49.216,0:01:52.768
But, if you think about it,[br]this is completely wrong,

0:01:52.768,0:01:55.399
it's the wrong way around[br]because at that point in time,

0:01:55.399,0:01:59.073
there's literally nothing you can do[br]to understand better.

0:01:59.073,0:02:02.597
But there is something that the other[br]person can do to help you understand

0:02:02.597,0:02:05.898
by finding a better way of explaining[br]what they're talking about.

0:02:06.587,0:02:07.759
And so -

0:02:11.347,0:02:15.025
during my experience in science,

0:02:15.739,0:02:20.827
I found that the only way to survive[br]was to kind of have the courage

0:02:20.827,0:02:24.269
to politely stop the person[br]who is explaining,

0:02:24.269,0:02:27.618
say, "I'm sorry, I don't understand[br]what you're saying,"

0:02:27.618,0:02:32.074
and then try and go back and start off[br]from where I'd lost the thread.

0:02:32.461,0:02:34.580
And it does take[br]a bit of courage to do this

0:02:34.580,0:02:39.178
because you're kind of admitting that you[br]don't know, you know, the subject matter.

0:02:39.178,0:02:43.381
But I think that's OK, and in fact,[br]my fears were completely unwarranted.

0:02:43.381,0:02:47.758
Generally people respect you[br]if you care much about, you know,

0:02:47.758,0:02:49.660
knowing the right information

0:02:49.660,0:02:52.403
or care about, like,[br]understanding it properly.

0:02:52.640,0:02:56.771
So, I think we should never ever feel bad[br]about not knowing something

0:02:56.771,0:03:00.101
and we should never feel bad[br]about asking questions.

0:03:02.370,0:03:05.420
So, I do a lot of science communication,

0:03:05.420,0:03:08.641
and science really has[br]this communication issue with it

0:03:08.641,0:03:13.093
because generally [br]the subject matter is very complex.

0:03:13.093,0:03:15.688
And you might know[br]scientists are always complaining

0:03:15.688,0:03:19.784
about how their research[br]is being misrepresented by the media,

0:03:20.041,0:03:24.769
like "Drinking wine cures cancer."

0:03:24.769,0:03:26.483
(Laughter)

0:03:26.483,0:03:28.272
It totally doesn't, by the way.

0:03:29.762,0:03:32.052
But on the other hand,[br]you can kind of understand

0:03:32.052,0:03:36.501
how journalists will maybe[br]oversimplify things or get things wrong

0:03:36.501,0:03:39.940
because, to explain cutting-edge research,

0:03:39.940,0:03:43.722
you kind of need a PhD[br]in the subject beforehand,

0:03:43.722,0:03:48.101
and that's not something we can expect,[br]you know, the media, journalists to have

0:03:48.101,0:03:51.039
in all the different[br]scientific disciplines.

0:03:51.039,0:03:54.503
So, I think the world would be very[br]well-served by a whole load of people

0:03:54.503,0:03:57.192
who are really good[br]at science communication,

0:03:57.192,0:04:01.862
people who understand the science[br]but can also explain it in a way

0:04:01.862,0:04:04.255
that the general public can understand.

0:04:04.255,0:04:06.162
And this is important for many reasons,

0:04:06.162,0:04:08.020
but one reason is you might know

0:04:08.020,0:04:11.973
that just about all the science research[br]that goes on around the world

0:04:11.973,0:04:13.669
is publicly funded.

0:04:14.313,0:04:17.386
So, it'd be nice if the general public[br]could actually understand

0:04:17.386,0:04:20.183
the work that their money [br]is going towards.

0:04:21.796,0:04:28.122
But for me, the even more important reason[br]that science communication is good

0:04:28.122,0:04:30.925
is because it's also interesting.

0:04:30.925,0:04:35.121
The research going on is so fascinating[br]it'd be nice if people could access it.

0:04:35.547,0:04:38.458
Take my field for example, [br]quantum physics.

0:04:38.458,0:04:42.210
I find quantum physics to be[br]a deeply interesting subject,

0:04:42.210,0:04:46.595
but it's one that gets this reputation[br]of being incredibly difficult.

0:04:46.915,0:04:51.995
And that's fair, it gets complicated[br]when you get down into the details,

0:04:51.995,0:04:54.902
but it doesn't mean[br]you can't talk about it at all.

0:04:55.504,0:04:57.138
So, let me get a show of hands.

0:04:57.138,0:05:00.877
So, put your hand up if you don't know[br]what quantum physics is.

0:05:00.877,0:05:02.887
And if you don't, don't feel bad about it.

0:05:02.887,0:05:05.285
Raise your hand, you know.[br]Own your ignorance.

0:05:05.285,0:05:06.934
It's totally fine.

0:05:06.934,0:05:08.570
Okay, okay, right.

0:05:08.856,0:05:15.856
So, quantum physics is the description[br]of the smallest things in our universe.

0:05:16.026,0:05:18.377
So, if you zoom right down[br]smaller than cells,

0:05:18.377,0:05:24.239
down to the scale of molecules, atoms,[br]and things atoms are made of,

0:05:24.239,0:05:28.697
you know, subatomic particles,[br]protons, neutrons, electrons,

0:05:28.697,0:05:32.785
it just describes how they all work[br]and also how they interact with light.

0:05:33.058,0:05:35.609
And the interesting thing[br]about quantum physics is

0:05:35.609,0:05:39.132
it's like the fundamental rules[br]of the universe,

0:05:39.450,0:05:43.630
and yet, the things that happen there[br]are so very strange.

0:05:43.630,0:05:48.141
So, I'll tell you a few of the phenomena[br]that go on in quantum physics.

0:05:48.738,0:05:52.831
One you might have heard of[br]is called particle wave duality.

0:05:53.682,0:05:56.781
So, you can imagine[br]all these subatomic particles,

0:05:56.781,0:06:00.598
these protons, neutrons, electrons,[br]like little bouncy balls,

0:06:00.598,0:06:03.031
kind of bouncing around,[br]bouncing off each other.

0:06:03.492,0:06:07.491
But sometimes you have to treat them[br]as like spread-out waves.

0:06:07.491,0:06:11.442
And they kind of do both at the same time,[br]which is hard for us to imagine.

0:06:12.092,0:06:13.750
So, I'll paint a picture.

0:06:13.750,0:06:18.963
Imagine dropping one of these bouncy balls[br]into like a pond of water.

0:06:18.963,0:06:20.361
The ball would disappear,

0:06:20.361,0:06:24.543
and then you'd get these ripples[br]going out over the surface.

0:06:24.961,0:06:28.453
Now, imagine one[br]of the ripples hits, say, a stick.

0:06:29.122,0:06:32.073
All of the ripples[br]on the surface disappear,

0:06:32.073,0:06:35.287
and by that stick suddenly[br]a bouncy ball pops out again.

0:06:36.070,0:06:38.681
That's kind of strange[br]for us to think about, right?

0:06:40.233,0:06:42.394
But this is the kind[br]of behavior that goes on

0:06:42.394,0:06:44.693
in the subatomic realm all the time.

0:06:46.332,0:06:50.524
Another phenomena you might have heard[br]is called quantum tunneling.

0:06:50.524,0:06:54.308
So, imagine I've thrown one of these[br]bouncy balls against a window.

0:06:54.308,0:06:56.952
So, it would be like bounce - oh, sorry -

0:06:56.952,0:06:59.192
throw, bounce, catch -

0:06:59.372,0:07:01.590
throw, bounce, catch -

0:07:01.724,0:07:03.259
throw -

0:07:04.997,0:07:06.924
It's gone completely through the window.

0:07:06.924,0:07:10.144
It's not smashed it.[br]It's not interacted with it at all.

0:07:10.144,0:07:12.486
It's just suddenly[br]on the other side of the window

0:07:12.486,0:07:14.043
and you can see it flying away.

0:07:14.043,0:07:15.626
(Laughter)

0:07:17.312,0:07:20.606
If we saw that, [br]we'd think it was crazy, right?

0:07:21.188,0:07:23.716
But this goes on at the[br]subatomic realm all the time.

0:07:23.716,0:07:26.434
In fact, it's the only reason we exist.

0:07:27.306,0:07:29.933
So, you might know that, in the Sun,

0:07:29.933,0:07:33.277
the way it generates energy[br]is through nuclear fusion.

0:07:33.640,0:07:37.839
And nuclear fusion is when[br]two hydrogen atoms come together

0:07:37.839,0:07:41.411
and the protons in their nucleus[br]bounce off each other.

0:07:41.417,0:07:43.466
Now, if it wasn't for quantum tunneling,

0:07:43.466,0:07:46.037
they'd bounce off each other[br]and nothing would happen.

0:07:46.037,0:07:49.559
But what actually happens is[br]they quantum-tunnel into each other,

0:07:49.559,0:07:52.929
and that's what lets them fuse[br]and release the sunlight,

0:07:53.577,0:07:56.987
and without that sunlight,[br]we wouldn't exist.

0:07:56.987,0:08:00.235
So, we can thank quantum tunneling[br]for our existence.

0:08:01.350,0:08:04.214
Another phenomenon [br]is called superposition.

0:08:04.520,0:08:06.371
And it's a very fancy word,

0:08:06.371,0:08:10.510
but all it means it something that can do[br]opposite things at the same time.

0:08:10.510,0:08:12.141
So, for example,

0:08:12.141,0:08:14.277
I can spin around one way,

0:08:14.878,0:08:16.937
I can spin around the other way,

0:08:16.937,0:08:18.601
but what would it look like for me

0:08:18.601,0:08:21.668
to spin around in both directions[br]at the same time?

0:08:21.668,0:08:24.033
(Laughter)

0:08:26.592,0:08:29.542
We can't do that, we can't imagine that,

0:08:29.542,0:08:32.759
but this is what these subatomic[br]particles do all the time.

0:08:32.759,0:08:37.280
And in fact, we can kind of do it,[br]at least bits of us can.

0:08:37.280,0:08:40.155
So, if you've ever been in an MRI machine,

0:08:40.155,0:08:45.022
what an MRI machine does is it finds[br]all the hydrogen atoms in your body

0:08:45.022,0:08:48.050
and makes them spin around[br]in both directions at the same time

0:08:48.050,0:08:49.391
in this superposition.

0:08:49.391,0:08:52.743
This is what allows us to see[br]inside of people's bodies.

0:08:53.511,0:08:58.625
So, it's interesting that all of this[br]physics seems so kind of abstract

0:08:58.625,0:09:01.333
and remote from our everyday experience.

0:09:01.333,0:09:05.383
And yet, it's happening inside our bodies,[br]we're made of quantum stuff.

0:09:05.383,0:09:08.754
So, it's happening everywhere around us.

0:09:11.114,0:09:16.102
And it's no just MRI machines[br]that we use tech like quantum physics for.

0:09:16.102,0:09:19.066
There's been a whole host[br]of other technologies that come about

0:09:19.066,0:09:21.313
because of our understanding[br]of quantum physics.

0:09:21.313,0:09:24.853
So, one of those[br]is our understanding of silicon

0:09:24.853,0:09:27.413
allowed us to invent the silicon chip,

0:09:27.413,0:09:29.833
which is in every single[br]computer in the world.

0:09:29.833,0:09:34.905
So, the entire computing[br]infrastructure of the world exists

0:09:34.905,0:09:37.388
because of our understanding[br]of quantum physics.

0:09:37.736,0:09:41.194
And it's in other things, like lasers -[br]they're quite useful -

0:09:41.194,0:09:43.450
and nuclear power plants.

0:09:44.145,0:09:47.775
And there's this other sound bite you[br]might have heard about quantum physics:

0:09:47.775,0:09:51.426
it's that no one really[br]understands quantum physics.

0:09:52.504,0:09:54.025
Well, that's actually wrong.

0:09:54.025,0:09:56.275
We do understand [br]quantum physics very well,

0:09:56.275,0:09:58.175
and you'd kind of hope that we did

0:09:58.175,0:10:03.276
if it forms the technology MRI machines[br]or nuclear power stations.

0:10:04.120,0:10:05.705
What they mean when they say that

0:10:05.705,0:10:08.256
is that when we try and picture[br]in our heads something

0:10:08.256,0:10:10.907
that can be both a particle[br]and a wave at the same time,

0:10:10.907,0:10:14.176
or something that can spin around[br]in two directions at the same time,

0:10:14.176,0:10:16.526
we find it very hard[br]to picture that in our heads.

0:10:16.526,0:10:19.506
But we can describe it all very well[br]using mathematics.

0:10:19.826,0:10:24.487
So, it's fascinating that something can be[br]so counterintuitive on one hand,

0:10:24.487,0:10:28.484
but yet, can be so practically[br]useful on the other.

0:10:31.839,0:10:35.988
So, I really enjoy explaining[br]science to people.

0:10:35.988,0:10:38.557
I make YouTube videos[br]and also write kids books

0:10:38.557,0:10:41.568
for the age range around seven[br]to eleven-year-old,

0:10:41.568,0:10:44.870
and I really like pushing myself,[br]I don't hold back on the science,

0:10:44.870,0:10:48.425
I like explaining the most[br]complicated subjects to that age.

0:10:48.425,0:10:52.827
So, quantum physics, nanotechnology,[br]relativity, rocket science,

0:10:52.827,0:10:54.438
those kinds of things.

0:10:54.438,0:10:55.918
And I've come to the conclusion

0:10:55.918,0:10:59.008
that you can pretty much explain[br]anything to anybody,

0:10:59.008,0:11:01.623
as long as you go about it the right way,

0:11:01.623,0:11:05.089
and I've come up with a set[br]of principles I work by to do that.

0:11:05.089,0:11:07.400
So, I'm going to share these with you.

0:11:07.400,0:11:11.708
So these are my four principles[br]of good science communication.

0:11:11.708,0:11:15.234
And I say science, but it can be[br]any kind of technical communication.

0:11:15.929,0:11:17.057
Okay.

0:11:17.581,0:11:19.389
So, number one:[br]

0:11:19.389,0:11:21.629
start off in the right place.

0:11:22.019,0:11:24.069
So, everyone's got a different background,

0:11:24.069,0:11:26.720
everyone's got a different[br]set of knowledge.

0:11:26.720,0:11:29.570
And it's our job [br]to explain the information

0:11:29.570,0:11:32.115
in terms that they already understand.

0:11:32.480,0:11:35.310
It's no good leaving a gap[br]and starting from there

0:11:35.310,0:11:37.310
because they're not going to follow along.

0:11:37.310,0:11:44.143
It's better to, yeah, form the information[br]from what they already understand.

0:11:45.186,0:11:46.349
And how do you do this?

0:11:46.349,0:11:49.221
It's as simple as asking them[br]questions about what they know,

0:11:49.221,0:11:51.702
or even starting an explanation[br]and then asking,

0:11:51.702,0:11:56.709
"Do you already get this?,"[br]or, you know, "Is this making any sense?"

0:11:57.101,0:11:59.610
And if you're talking to an audience,

0:11:59.610,0:12:02.591
you have, you know,[br]to make your best guess,

0:12:02.591,0:12:04.800
and a show of hands can be useful too.

0:12:04.800,0:12:07.081
It's always better to err[br]on the side of caution.

0:12:07.081,0:12:10.785
People generally don't mind hearing[br]information that they already know.

0:12:11.568,0:12:12.953
Okay.

0:12:13.791,0:12:15.372
Principle two:

0:12:15.883,0:12:18.678
don't go too far down the rabbit hole.

0:12:19.862,0:12:24.261
People can only take on a certain[br]amount of information at any one time,

0:12:24.261,0:12:26.868
and we have to just be[br]realistic about that.

0:12:26.868,0:12:29.152
So, it's better to explain,[br]say, three things

0:12:29.152,0:12:32.050
that someone will[br]understand and remember

0:12:32.050,0:12:34.891
rather than barrage them[br]with a whole load of information

0:12:34.891,0:12:37.997
that kind of undoes all[br]of your good work, to begin with.

0:12:37.997,0:12:40.726
So, I could have carried on[br]talking about quantum physics,

0:12:40.726,0:12:44.463
but hopefully I gave you enough examples[br]that kind of piqued your interest

0:12:44.463,0:12:46.634
and you can go away with.

0:12:48.044,0:12:49.004
Okay.

0:12:49.004,0:12:50.450
Number three:

0:12:51.180,0:12:55.029
clarity beats accuracy.

0:12:55.812,0:12:58.002
So, when we're explaining[br]things with examples,

0:12:58.002,0:13:02.882
the temptation is to give the most[br]scientifically accurate explanation,

0:13:02.882,0:13:06.774
but they tend to be long[br]and kind of convoluted.

0:13:06.774,0:13:09.854
It's better to come up[br]with a simpler explanation

0:13:09.854,0:13:14.205
that maybe isn't completely[br]technically correct,

0:13:14.205,0:13:15.933
but it gets the point across.

0:13:15.933,0:13:21.202
Imagine they're here,[br]and the complete explanation is here.

0:13:21.202,0:13:23.817
All you want to do[br]is just get them along that path.

0:13:24.153,0:13:28.384
So, for example, when I was talking[br]about spin in quantum systems,

0:13:29.064,0:13:31.403
the truth is actually[br]a little bit more abstract,

0:13:31.403,0:13:34.372
of spinning in these subatomic particles,

0:13:34.372,0:13:37.015
but what I tell you is a good picture,

0:13:37.015,0:13:39.193
and, you know, if people[br]are still interested,

0:13:39.193,0:13:42.078
you can always iron out the details later.

0:13:43.144,0:13:44.439
Okay.

0:13:44.439,0:13:45.891
Number four:

0:13:46.424,0:13:48.865
explain why you think it's cool.

0:13:48.875,0:13:50.036
(Laughter)

0:13:50.036,0:13:52.046
If you're explaining something to someone,

0:13:52.046,0:13:54.317
you know, there's a reason[br]why you're doing it.

0:13:54.317,0:13:57.916
Either you think it's super important[br]or very, very interesting.

0:13:57.916,0:14:00.407
And the more that you can[br]convey that to someone,

0:14:00.407,0:14:04.596
the more likely they are to remember it[br]and kind of get some value from it

0:14:04.596,0:14:06.229
And you can do this in many ways.

0:14:06.229,0:14:09.886
One way is just to show[br]your enthusiasm for the subject.

0:14:09.886,0:14:13.916
Another way is to show, using examples,[br]how it's relevant to their lives.

0:14:13.916,0:14:17.815
So, for example, quantum physics:[br]every time you turn on your phone,

0:14:17.815,0:14:22.467
you're invoking the fundamental[br]laws of the universe to do your bidding -

0:14:22.467,0:14:23.602
(Laughter)

0:14:23.602,0:14:26.344
as you tweet photos of your cat.

0:14:26.344,0:14:27.876
(Laughter)

0:14:29.706,0:14:32.095
So, those are my four principles.

0:14:32.416,0:14:35.658
So, I'd just like to leave on an anecdote.

0:14:37.709,0:14:40.428
When I meet people for the first time,

0:14:40.428,0:14:42.708
and I introduce myself[br]and say I'm a physicist,

0:14:42.708,0:14:46.369
I get one reaction[br]more commonly than any other,

0:14:46.369,0:14:50.159
which is like, "Ooh, physics.[br]I was rubbish at physics in school."

0:14:50.159,0:14:51.450
(Laughter)

0:14:51.450,0:14:55.039
And it happens so often it's such a shame.

0:14:56.107,0:15:00.020
You know, science shouldn't be[br]about whether you're good at it or not.

0:15:00.020,0:15:03.630
It should only be about[br]whether you're interested.

0:15:04.618,0:15:09.857
And so, if you find science intimidating[br]or you have found science intimidating,

0:15:09.857,0:15:13.898
I just encourage you: there's so much[br]good information out there these days.

0:15:13.898,0:15:17.178
Just pick the subject[br]that you're interested in,

0:15:17.178,0:15:19.046
find some material,

0:15:19.046,0:15:22.109
and then just, from there,[br]follow your curiosity.

0:15:23.779,0:15:24.899
Thank you.

0:15:24.899,0:15:26.750
(Applause) (Cheers)