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Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
See, touch, and explore the world as if for the very first time.
Explore visual and kinetic phenomena, and view behind the scenes and memorable event photographs from the Exploratorium’s first 40 years.
Balancing Ball
Levitating on an invisible stream of air, a beach ball seems to defy gravity. If you try to pull the ball out, you can feel a force pulling it back in—the same force that keeps an airplane in flight.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Black Sand
At this simple but ever-popular exhibit, black sand from nearby beaches make spiky patterns that reveal the invisible magnetic field between the poles of two giant magnets.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Chaotic Pendulum
The visitor gives an initial twist to the pendulums with a protruding knob. Intuition says that the resulting motion of this system should be, if not simple, at least predictable. Intuition, however, does not work with this device since its motion is chaotic, extremely complicated and long-lived.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Jacques Cousteau in Seashells
There’s more to seeing than meets the eye.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Moving Objects
Hundreds of black rings travel randomly left and right along more than fifty horizontal strings. Closer examination reveals that the strings are driven at each end by small motors and that the rings that seem to pass through each other are actually bouncing against one another.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Pinscreen
Create ghostly images with the touch of a hand.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Scrapple
Scrapple is an audiovisual installation in which everyday objects placed on a table are interpreted as sound-producing marks in an "active score."
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Spinning Blackboard
Use your hands and tools to create unexpected patterns in the sand.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Spinning Patterns
Use your hands and tools to create unexpected patterns in the sand.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
