Courses

A course is a short route through several exhibits that belong together. Each one is a working model you can turn, take apart and change, with a long commentary underneath, so a course is a way to see one idea from several sides instead of one page at a time.

The stops are in a deliberate order, and every course page says why. You can follow a route from the first stop to the last, or open any stop on its own; each exhibit ends with a link to the next stop in the course. Most stops take ten to twenty minutes if you try the controls and read the main part of the commentary.

7 exhibits

Questions from an ordinary day

Things you meet on a normal day, from the colour of the sky to a game-show puzzle, each opened up as a working model.

Why the sky is blue and sunsets are redHow GPS works: why your phone needs four satellitesHow does an elevator work? Counterweight and safety brakeHow does a vinyl record work? Grooves, stereo and RIAAHeart beating: interactive model of the heart, step by stepHow to fold a paper crane and read its crease patternWhy should you switch doors in the Monty Hall problem?7 exhibits

Walking tour: from a cell to the solar system

Life-size places you can walk through, visited in order of size.

Walk inside a cell: animal, plant and bacteriumCoral bleaching causes: why warmer water turns reefs whiteSwim to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a 3D oceanDinosaur size comparison to humans: 172 life-size animalsWalk the Apollo landing sitesWalk around a Mars baseSolar system scale model measurements along a park walk 7 exhibits

Engines: from steam to rockets

How the heat of burning fuel becomes motion, from the steam engine to the engine that lifts a rocket.

How does the Watt steam engine work? A working 3D modelHow a four-stroke engine works: two crank turns per cycleTurbocharger: interactive model, take it apartHow a manual gearbox worksHow does a differential work in a car? A 3D gear modelHow a jet engine works: where an airliner’s thrust comes fromLiquid rocket engine: interactive model, how it works 8 exhibits

Space: from your window to a black hole

Start with the sky you can see from home and move outwards, as far as the edge of a black hole.

Why we have seasons: tilted Earth, changing daylightMoon phases: why a crescent is not Earth’s shadowSolar system scale model measurements along a park walkYour weight and jump height on other planets and moonsWalk the Apollo landing sitesHow big a crater would an asteroid make, and how craters formWalk around a Mars baseWhat you would see falling into a black hole 8 exhibits

The body: from heartbeat to DNA

Your own body, from the organs you can feel down to the molecules inside each cell.

Heart beating: interactive model of the heart, step by stepHow nerve signals travelHow does the eye focus on near and far objects? Try it in 3DReaction time test: how many milliseconds do you take?Walk inside a cell: animal, plant and bacteriumHow ATP synthase worksHow DNA replication works, step by step: Okazaki fragments in 3DHow CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing works 8 exhibits

Light and sound

What a sound wave and a light wave are, and what ears, eyes and machines do with them.

What sound looks like: sound waves, frequency and decibelsHow a piano works: the grand action and equal temperamentHow does a vinyl record work? Grooves, stereo and RIAAHow do bats see with sound? Echolocation explainedLight and colour, from prisms to polarisersWhy the sky is blue and sunsets are redAnimal vision: see the world through 69 animals’ eyesOptical illusions: why equal grey tiles look different 8 exhibits

Old machines, oldest first

Machines that kept time, played music, calculated and carried messages before electronics took over.

How the Jagyeokru water clock worksSlide rule: how to use one, with an interactive modelHow a pendulum clock works, and why its length sets the timeHow a music box worksMorse telegraph: key it yourself, step by stepHow a typewriter works: inside a manual typewriterHow a rotary phone works: the dial, its pulses and the exchangeHow the Enigma machine worked: rotors, reflector and plugboard 8 exhibits

Electricity: from turbine to chip

Follow electric power from where it is made to where it turns a motor or adds two numbers.

How a wind turbine works: why the blades twist in strong windHow a solar panel worksHow electricity gets to your homeWhat is under the streetHow a lithium-ion battery works: where the ions go on chargeElectric motor simulator: how it works, step by stepHow a transistor works as a switch: the MOSFET gateHow logic gates add numbers: sum bits and carry bits 8 exhibits

The Earth: from the core to the sky

The planet under your feet, from the iron core through the oceans to the air above.

Layers of the Earth: depth and density, interactive modelWhere volcanoes and earthquakes happenHow buildings resist earthquakesHow tides workSwim to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a 3D oceanCoral bleaching causes: why warmer water turns reefs whiteSnowflake growth simulator: grow your own crystalWhy the sky is blue and sunsets are red 8 exhibits

Buildings and the city

How structures stand up, and how a city keeps water and power moving underneath them.

Stone arch bridge: load it and watch how it carries weightGothic cathedral: flying buttresses, interactive modelHow a hanok is put together and heated by ondolWhy a tower crane doesn't tip overHow does an elevator work? Counterweight and safety brakeHow buildings resist earthquakesWhat is under the streetHow a water treatment plant turns muddy water clear