On October 12,2024, we have prepared the following events as part of the largest event popularizing science at the Silesian University of Technology, the Night of Scientists:

• The electric future of motorsport

At the “Electric Future of Motorsport” exhibition booth, students of the interdepartmental PolSL Racing research club presented the secrets of electric propulsion technology in motorsports. Attendees had the opportunity to learn how electric cars work, how they differ from their combustion counterparts and what challenges they pose to designers.

• The prehistory of the computers

The purpose of this event was to discuss the history and demonstrate the instruments that were used in calculations before the era of calculators and electronic computers. The principles of calculations on various devices were presented. Participants were able to perform calculations on, among others:

• • Polish, Chinese (suanpan) and Japanese (soroban) abacuses,
  • Nepera sticks invented in the 17th century,
  • mechanical calculators (arithmetometers) constructed in the 19th century,
  • calculating slide rules used in the 20th century.

Some of the mechanical calculators were partially disassembled in order to provide direct insight into their construction. The instruments presented allow addition, subtraction, multiplication, division of numbers and more complex mathematical operations.

• Glass ball, tarot or mathematical equations? Mathematics – the engineer’s universal tool with the power to predict (the future).

Have you ever wondered how engineers are convinced that your bicycle, car or airplane you’re flying off on your dream vacation behaves this way and not that way and is safe? Do engineers go to a fortune teller or use other “tools” such as a glass ball or tarot cards before completing a project? Well, no – they use mathematical equations! During the lecture, we showed several mathematical equations and the principles of the finite element method – a computational method used to design even the most complex mechanical systems. The lecture was diversified with a contest with prizes and a performance by the rock band Skończone Elementy.