Masks are required for all visitors 2+. Vaccines recommended. Plan your visit
At first glance, the giant see-through-erector-set-like structure seems to be a realization of one of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical inventions.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
A stop-motion animation is made of many pictures, each slightly different from the last.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Quick-changing views create the illusion of motion.
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
Try building these circuits found in everyday objects.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
In San Francisco, bridges and buildings are made to move.
Where: Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits
Wave the wand quickly and see an image appear.
Quick-changing views create the illusion of motion.
Artist Scott Weaver has spent over 40 years painstakingly constructing this replica of the city of San Francisco out of toothpicks. Ping-pong balls added here or there wind their way through the model, visiting various famous sites along the way.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Use your hands and tools to create unexpected patterns in the sand.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Use your hands and tools to create unexpected patterns in the sand.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Just outside the Tinkering Studio stands a twenty-two-foot-high clock. Small cartoon characters are poised to oil, brush, weld, or otherwise tinker with the numerals; knobs let visitors animate the characters so they can attend to their tasks. On the hour, the work is finished. The numbers swing out to form a clock face and a mellow Chinese gong rings.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
This playful physical glossary models the many modes of making.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Discover the strength of an arch by building a bridge.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
From simple wooden gears to metal flip type, glow discharge tubes, and iPads, Your Turn Counts actually counts the turns of a handle using increasingly modern technology as the orders of magnitude grow. A playful experiment in participation and patience.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering