Guest Speaker: Dr. Dwight Vincent, University of Winnipeg

In 1931, Albert Einstein changed his mind about whether the universe was expanding in size or not. Following new developments in astronomy, he abandoned his 1917 model of the universe, which was designed mathematically to be unchanging.

In May of 1931, he was invited to stay at Oxford University for three weeks to interact with faculty and students plus give three lectures about his work. In the second lecture he took the opportunity to describe a new up-and-down model for the universe. In this model the universe expanded until it reached a maximum size and then shrank back to zero size again.

This talk, presented by the Winnipeg Institute for Theoretical Physics, discusses how he presented this cosmological idea on two small blackboards to an audience that had up to 500 people in attendance. What do the equations on the blackboard represent? Why did readers of the New York Times the next day understand more about what Einstein said in the lecture than those who attended at Oxford? Why is only one of the two blackboards that Einstein used now displayed at Oxford University? Why were almost all the calculated numbers on the blackboard wrong?

Join the speaker early (1:30pm) and eat free PIZZA with beverages. Everyone is welcome.