VELOCITY TRACKS
Three balls start at the same height. All three have the same destination but take different paths and have different weights. How do these variables
(path and weight) influence the time it takes for the ball to get to the
bottom?
Interactive science exhibits are the core of The Leonardo on Wheels—Science. Each exhibit has a "lab bench" feeling to it that fosters experimentation and prolongs the time a student spends with an exhibit. Each exhibit is developed with three principles in mind:
A ] They are open-ended and function on many levels. Immediate reward/results are present, but there are further experiences and learning for the student that will stay with it, read the exhibit description, and think about it.
B ] Each exhibit has multiple variables which can be changed to yield multiple possible outcomes. “What would happen if...?” questions are encouraged, and the materials needed to answer those questions are provided.
C ] The outcomes and variables of the exhibits are measureable. Students should be able to not only observe differences when a variable in changed, they should also be able to associate a “how much” with that change.
Three balls start at the same height. All three have the same destination but take different paths and have different weights. How do these variables
(path and weight) influence the time it takes for the ball to get to the
bottom?
Two dishes are placed opposite each other. By speaking
and listening at the center of the dishes, you and a friend can talk
across the room without raising your voices.
Everyone
is different. See how your height and weight compare to other students at your
school. The bars on the graph create a distribution curve.
Keeping your blanace is not a simple process. Your ability to keep your balance involves several of your body's sensors and feedback systems: Your eyes, your inner ear, your muscles and your sense of touch and your brain.
Energy in all forms is transmitted in waves. Waves have certain characteristics and properties such as how often they occur (frequency) and how strong they are amplitude. There are rules that direct how waves interact and move. Discover some of them by experimenting.
Mountain ranges and vallyes of Utah create daily breezes and interact with large air masses that travel from the Pacific Ocean and Canada. In certain situations, the terrain can channel air and create tornadoes and land spouts.
Something familiar can look very foreign when viewed under a microscope. You may notice that big things are made up of lots of smaller things. You may even see things you never saw before or knew existed.
What are the odds? Probability is a measurement of the likelihood of a given result.
Your voice is a complex blend of sounds. The graph allows you to
"see" those sounds, your personal "voice print."
Rubbing dissimilar objects against each other can build up a static
charge, like your shoes (rubber) on some shag carpet (wool). If the charge is
great enough, it will get released (discharged) in a spark.
Using the lenses and mirrors on this exhibit, you can bend light! The
light can be focused onto a single point, spread out widely over a large area,
or reflected to different locations on the table.
What does it feel like to make electricity? Use the Generator Bike to
convert the muscle energy of your legs into electrical energy. How much
electricity can your leg muscles make?
This computers contains a map made from satellite images of your
county. Can find your house? Your school?
You are surrounded every day by radiation that comes from many things in
your world. You can measure and compare the radioactivity of the items in this
exhibit using a Geiger counter.
All it
takes to make electricity is a coil of wire and a magnet. That's it.
Moving a magnet through a coil causes electrons to flow through the wire. This
principle is known as induction.
Sponsored by: Utah State Office of Education via funds from the Utah State Legislature.
This exhibit is currently not on rotation.
Using polarized light, you can see the forces and stresses that engineers
have to figure out when they build bridges and other structures.
