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Physics
A Pendulum Clock
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 Way of Seeing as It Happens
A mirror and a lens mounted on top project a live image of the outside view into a darkened room.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Aeolian Harp
An eerie orchestral chord floats on the breeze; it’s the shimmering sound of a 27-foot tall harp being strummed by the wind.
Where: Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits
Anti-Gravity Mirror
Here’s an exhibit where watching is at least half the fun. You can create any number of gravity-defying illusions that will amaze you and your friends: Levitate, fly, swim though the air, grow limbs (and dissolve them), crawl straight up the wall like a lizard—the sky’s the limit.
Archimedes
Archimedes is comprised of two 8-foot diameter dish-like chairs placed 80 feet apart. Each dish’s parabolic curve collects and focuses sound waves and reflects them to participants seated within them. Even whispers uttered from one dish can be clearly heard by the surprised listener seated in the opposite dish.
Where: Plaza
Aurora
A reflector stretches light from colored tiles into long bright ribbons.
Avalanche
Does the sand all pile up in the same way?
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: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
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
Bird in a Cage
Stare at a bird’s eye for 30 seconds, then look into the empty cage. You’ll see a ghostly bird—of a very different color—inside the cage
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
Bright Black
At this exhibit, find out how subjective brightness can be as you struggle—and fail—to correctly decide whether the squares you see are black or white.
Catch the Sound Waves
These simple glass tubes separate the sounds of the Exploratorium into distinct tones.
Chaotic Pendulum
When you set these pendulums swinging, the motion of each one affects the others.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Chladni Singing
Sand scattered on a large metal square vibrates and jumps in response to the sound of your voice. When you hit just the right note(s), the sand spontaneously migrates into elegant geometrical patterns.
Christmas Tree Balls
There are captivating reflections in a box of ornaments.
Circles of Magnetism
Electricity moving in a wire makes a circular magnetic field.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Circling Wave Umbrella
Fluttering waves whirl around the edge, creating patterns of evenly spaced ripples.
Where: Entrance
Circuit Workbench
Try building these circuits found in everyday objects.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Cloud Chamber
Look down into the chamber and you’ll see an ongoing cascade of thin white trails appearing and disappearing. These are cosmic ray tracks, created by high-energy subatomic particles from space.
Colored Shadows
Step in front of this wall, and you’ll make shadows of various colors—yellow, magenta, cyan, red, green, blue, and yes, even black—that wiggle, jump, and dance along with you.
Corner Reflector
This reflector has you cornered: It always sends light back in the direction from which it came.
Countless Colors
How many colors can you make by mixing red, green, and blue light?
Coupled Pendulums
Start one of these two pendulums swinging and soon you’ll see the other pendulum start swinging, too. Keep watching and you’ll see the two pendulums take turns, alternately swinging energetically and coming to a near standstill.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Cylindrical Mirror
This curved mirror distorts your reflection in surprising ways.
Diffraction Shadows
Shadows made with laser light have light and dark bands.
Disagreeing About Color
Which of the outer dots best matches the center dot? Ask a few people and chances are you’ll get a few different answers.
Disappearing Glass Rods
When light passes from one clear medium into another, it (usually) bends—a phenomenon called refraction. Distortions caused by refraction are part of why you can see objects that are clear.
Distilled Light
Split light apart and put it back together again.
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
Drawing Board
Draw hypnotically flowing patterns with a swinging table, and watch friction cause the patterns to slowly shrink along a spiral path.
Echo Tube
Make a sound into the echo tube and listen for it to reflect back from the far end. You’ll hear a half-second delay, and strange distortions created by the journey.
Where: Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits
Echo Tubes
Experiment with echoes with these three long tubes. Why does a clap come back as a ping? What does it take to make a good echo?
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Everyone Is You and Me
By adjusting the light levels on either side of this half-silvered glass, you and a friend can merge your faces into a single composite face.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Find The Highest Note
This keyboard creates tones that seem to keep getting higher—forever.
Fluorescent Tube
Powder inside a fluorescent tube makes invisible light visible.
Focused Conversation
This giant balloon bends sound waves just as a lens bends light.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Gas Model
Gas Model is a transparent plastic cylinder with bouncing balls activated by a vibrating plate. This exhibit demonstrates the properties of gas molecules, which gain energy when heated.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Geysers
The timing of the eruptions of these geysers depends on water temperature and pressure.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Giant Lens
See wonderfully warped views of the world through this colossal convex lens.
Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems
Giant Mirror
This giant mirror was originally part of a flight simulator. Its size and near-perfect smoothness makes for astonishing optical (and acoustic) effects.
Gray Step
With the rope hanging down, the left and right sides of the board appear identical. Lifting the rope shows the dramatic difference that your eyes missed—and continue to miss, as soon as you let the rope fall again.
Hoop Nightmares
Your brain adapts quickly to a warped view of the world, turning baskets into air balls.
Hot Spot
This curved mirror focuses both light and heat.
Humming Plates
Sand reveals vibrations that are normally invisible.
Icy Bodies
Like comets, these chunks of dry ice slowly disintegrate as they move, leaving a visible trail of condensed water vapor.
Illuminated Fog
Swirling, drifting, billowing movements of air reveal themselves in the fog.
Image Relay
Lenses transmit an image of your face across space.
Inverse Square Law
Light gets dimmer the farther it travels–and a bit of simple math explains how.
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