Learn with us online while the Exploratorium is temporarily closed. You can help us reopen—donate today.
Sociology
Collaborative Shapes
Work together to make a shape–with your eyes closed.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Digital Footprints
Daily cycles of the city are projected onto a miniature topographic map of San Francisco.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Freeloader
Your dilemma: Play for yourself—or for the group?
Human Phenomena Explainer Station
Explainers do social interaction demonstrations.
Making Meaning
Discuss your interpretations of these words and images.
Red/Blue
Even randomly formed groups can generate instant rivalries.
Sip or Squirt
This two-person drinking fountain was inspired by the Prisoner's Dilemma, a famous paradox of game theory: Do you choose to sacrifice your companion—and to some degree yourself—rather than risk being a trusting chump?
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Sort and Switch
See how fast you can assign words to categories–then switch sides and try it again. Do you notice a difference?
Survival Game
Players struggle to keep their livestock herds alive and thriving—despite disease, drought, and other dangers. When your neighbor suffers a major loss, the question arises: Can you afford to share? But the real question may be, can you afford not to?
Text Fish
Manage an ocean ecosystem. Will you help maintain the fish population or just catch as much as you can? Here you’ll get a clear picture of a phenomenon known as the tragedy of the commons—overexploitation of shared resources—and a chance to rethink social strategies after an environmental catastrophe.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
