Museum for the Mind

With hands-on exhibits and live demonstrations, the Discovery Science Center seeks to kindle the natural creativity of children while encouraging their understanding of science, math and technology. Here’s a sampling of the science behind the exhibits from the center’s seven themed areas: Human Perception, Quake Zone, Dynamic Earth, Principles of Flight, Human Performance, Space Exploration and Exploration Station.

PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT: Fly an Airplane

The Exhibit

Push forward the throttle, pull back on the stick and maneuver the foot pedals to Fly an Airplane. The wind tunnel simulates flight--allowing the pilot of the model plane to climb, dive, turn and roll.

The Science

Four basic forces govern an airplane’s flight:

Gravity pulls plane toward the ground

Drag slows forward motion

Thrust pushes plane forward

Lift pushes plane upward

EXPLORATION STATION: Catenary Arch

The Exhibit

Stack the blocks in the correct order to build a free-standing Catenary Arch. Construction requires three or more people working as a team. The resulting shape resembles a chain hanging between two supports, but upside down.

The Science

Architects through the ages have used arches to construct doorways, passageways and tunnels. Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures experimented with the arch, but it was the Romans who most fully realized its strength and versatility.

SPACE EXPLORATION: Gravity Well

The Exhibit

Roll the balls in circular, oval and arched pathways around the Gravity Well. Friction and air resistance cause the balls to lose energy as they spin inward toward the center hole. The large funnel models the gravitational force around a massive object.

The Science

The gravitational pull of a black hole is so powerful that nothing can escape from it. Astronomers believe the Milky Way contains millions of invisible black holes--formed when a star runs out of fuel and collapses in on itself.

HUMAN PERCEPTION: Strobe String

The Exhibit

Adjust the tension in the spinning Strobe String to change the frequency and amplitude of the wavelength. More humps mean a higher frequency, less loops equal a lower amplitude.

The Science

Ocean water moves up and down, but not forward, when a wave passes through it. As the wave reaches shore, the water surges forward and breaks on the beach. Wave size depends on wind speed and storm strength out at sea.

DYNAMIC EARTH: Tornado

The Exhibit

Use your hands, feet or entire body to affect the Tornado. A fan pulls the air upward while side vents spin the air counterclockwise. Water vapor makes the funnel cloud visible.

The Science

Tornadoes form when strong winds blow into each other. An area of low pressure in the middle of the swirling winds pulls debris into the tornado. The most powerful tornadoes originate inside “supercell” thunderstorms--which can spawn several twisters over a 100-mile stretch.

HUMAN PERFORMANCE: Can You Lift Yourself?

The Exhibit

Sit down, pull down on the rope and Lift Yourself with the help of a block-and-tackle pulley system. More pulleys means you exert less force but must pull more rope to raise yourself to the same height.

The Science

A block-and-tackle system raises heavy weights with a single rope wound around two separate sets of pulleys. The upper set is fixed to a support, the lower set hooked to the load.

QUAKE ZONE: Liquefaction

The Exhibit

Using toy blocks, construct a “building” on top of the sand. After a blast of air separates the sand, the grains act like liquid and suck the blocks below the surface--demonstrating Liquefaction.

The Science

Before quake: Sand particles are packed together, forming a solid layer

During quake: Water pushes between sand particles, breaking and weakening soil layer’s solid structure.

HUMAN PERCEPTION: Bed of Nails

The Exhibit

Lie down and keep still on the Bed of Nails. Each nail supports only a small portion of your total body weight--with no single nail exerting enough pressure to puncture the skin.

The Science

Snowshoes use the same weight distribution principal to prevent the wearer from sinking into light powder. Archaeologists say the first snowshoes, modeled after animal paws, were developed 6,000 years ago in Central Asia.

By Comparison

A 200-pound man walking in size 12 boots exerts 4 pounds of pressure per square inch. The same man walking in snowshoes exerts 6 1/2 ounces per square inch

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Sources: Janet Yamaguchi and David Randall, Discovery Science Center; “The Way Things Work” by David MacAulay; USA Today Weather Book by Jack Williams; World Book Encyclopedia; Buck Hulse, Iverson Snowshoe Co.; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Storm Spotter’s Guide; Earthquake Engineering Research Insitute; “Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down” by J.E. Gordon; “The Visual Dictionary of the Universe” by Eyewitness Books