Feynman diagrams as metaphors: borrowing the particle physicist's imagery for science communication purposes

摘要

We report on an educational project in particle physics based on Feynman diagrams. By dropping the mathematical aspect of the method and keeping just the iconic one, it is possible to convey many different concepts from the world of elementary particles, such as antimatter, conservation laws, particle creation and destruction, real and virtual particles, and so on. We have created a construction toy in which the rules of the graphic representation are translated into mechanical constraints between the toy elements. We report and discuss the results of public demonstrations with high school students.