10 October 2023
The connection between the history and future of refrigeration technology, quantum computing, and the contemplation of whether art needs to be beautiful may not be immediately obvious. But, of course, it’s exactly the eclectic mix to be expected of Woldingham’s Thinking Big talks programme. On consecutive Friday lunchtimes, we heard from Upper Sixth Formers Hannah, Cherry and Ovieya on these very topics.
Cherry’s short introduction to quantum computing was full of wonderful analogies that helped her explain this complex topic to her audience, including comparing a classical computer to local roads as well as bridges between islands and a quantum computer to a boat that can take you far away to somewhere else entirely. Ovieya put forward a strong case before drawing her conclusion that art does not need to be beautiful, including the argument that something which isn’t easy on the eye may offer more to the mind. There seems to be little that Hannah doesn’t know about refrigeration technology, past, present and future and the reason why she does sums up much about Thinking Big at Woldingham: “I have a fridge in my house, so I should probably know how it works.”
A look at ‘The most influential drink in the world” (tea, of course) by Mr Sääw on Friday 13 October will give us plenty more to ponder when putting the kettle on in half term.