Open-air science center
The educational trail was created on the initiative of several institutes of the Academy of Sciences located in Ládví and Kobylisy. Its goal is to bring science closer to children, schools, and the general public, while also revitalizing the scientific complex in Prague 8. At each stop along the trail, visitors can experiment with physical phenomena firsthand – ranging from the principles of probability and the binary number system, through the flywheel and the light spectrum, to a model of the atom and the transmission of light. Worksheets are also available for schools.
How light stays on the right path, or a total internal reflection
The ÚFE exhibit is the seventh stop on the educational trail. After pressing a button, visitors can follow a green laser beam inside a transparent rod and observe how, under certain conditions, the light is repeatedly reflected off the material’s interface and remains inside. This phenomenon is called total internal reflection, and it is precisely this principle that optical fibers are based on. These fibers enable the transmission of light signals over long distances and form one of the foundations of modern telecommunications and high-speed internet. At ÚFE, researchers are working, among other things, on the development of new types of optical fibers for lasers and sensors and on the use of optical networks for the transmission and distribution of precise time.
The clock installed on a streetlight near the exhibit serves as a reminder of the importance of precise time and the long-standing tradition of ÚFE in the field of time and frequency metrology. Since 1970, the institute has been involved in the creation of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) through the national UTC time scale (Tempus Pragense). Learn more about the exhibit here.
The trail was officially opened on September 25
The new educational trail was officially opened on Friday, September 25, 2026, in front of the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The opening took place as part of Researchers’ Night and also featured a science show by the Amazing Theater of Physics. The trail is open to the public, and visitors can explore the individual stops in any order. This has created a new “open-air science center” that allows visitors to gain insight into the topics studied by the Academy’s research institutions while taking a leisurely stroll through the Academy of Sciences grounds.
The project was carried out with financial support from the Czech Academy of Sciences and the IOCB Foundation.
For more information about the educational trail, visit the website https://naucnastezka.avcr.cz/en/.
