From January 16, 2023, to April 27, 2023, the Bonn Science Center will host the hands-on exhibition “PRECISION – Unimaginable Accuracy and the Search for New Physics” by the Mainz PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence. At PRISMA+, more than 300 scientists are working on fundamental questions about the fundamental building blocks of matter and their significance for the physics of the universe. The cluster’s – and the exhibition’s – main theme is precision. This theme runs like a common thread through the exhibition’s seven modules. In addition to physics enthusiasts, it is aimed primarily at school classes from grade 9 onwards.

“We are delighted to offer our guests, tenants, and visitors an exciting insight into the world of new physics and its methods with the PRISMA+ exhibition,” says Anke Fischer-Appelt, Managing Director of the Bonn Science Center.

Why didn’t matter and antimatter completely annihilate each other after the Big Bang? What is the invisible dark matter that makes up more than 80 percent of the mass of the universe? What is the role of the mysterious neutrinos in the early universe? These fundamental questions of modern physics are the focus of the hands-on exhibition “PRECISION – Unimaginable Accuracy and the Search for New Physics” by the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (university).

“We are delighted that our exhibition – after stops in Berlin, Mainz, and Pirmasens – can now be hosted at the Bonn Science Center, a central location for scientific exchange and networking,” says Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wittig, one of the two spokesperson of PRISMA+. “We want to convey to visitors our fascination for exploring these very big questions and mysteries of the universe – in a playful and entertaining way.”

“The urge for knowledge and curiosity have always driven scientists to gain an ever-deeper understanding of nature. As our exhibition shows, we have made amazing progress to date and expanded our knowledge of the fundamental forces and the structure of matter with ever more precise measurements and calculations,” adds Prof. Dr. Matthias Neubert, also spokesperson of PRISMA+.

On a fascinating voyage of discovery into the world of the very small and the very large, the exhibition makes these advances tangible, showing what precision means for PRISMA+ research and how researchers at PRISMA+ use unimaginably precise measurements and calculations to put our established understanding of the world to the test. The interactive exhibition is characterized by unusual hands-on exhibits and interactive media stations and games developed specifically for the exhibition, as well as graphics with vivid and humorous illustrations – the motto here is to participate and try things out.