exploratorium

Exhibits

PHENOMENA

Inertia: Rotational

Bicycle Wheel Gyro
Bicycle Wheel Gyro

Tilt a spinning bicycle wheel while you’re sitting in a swivel chair and—surprise—you’ll start spinning in circles, too. You can also witness the same phenomenon here by hanging a spinning wheel from its axle.

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started
Chaotic Pendulum
Chaotic Pendulum

When you set these pendulums swinging, the motion of each one affects the others.

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started
Downhill Race
Downhill Race

Believe it or not, when objects roll downhill, it’s not their weight or size that determines their speed—it’s how their weight is distributed.

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started