Lecture: On the Wave of Light from Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein

This popular science lecture bridges the worlds of theater and science as part of the accompanying program for the play Indian in Danger. A talk about physics and female physicists—almost entirely without equations. We’ll embark on a “journey on a light wave” from Newton to Einstein—learning about their lives, key discoveries, and the revolutionary ideas of special and general relativity.

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Special attention will be given to light: how its speed has been measured throughout history and why light, of all things, changed our understanding of time and space. Could we call Newton the Strindberg of physics? Why do we talk about light when describing gravity? And how can you measure the speed of light at home?

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The lecture will offer an accessible explanation, interesting stories, and thought-provoking questions. It will be led by Jakub Fišák, Ph.D., from the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.