Science in the Park

Permanent Exhibit

In this park-like setting, jump, swing, and use familiar objects, like playground equipment and bicycle wheels, to investigate the pushes and pulls of everyday life.

Exercise your muscles and challenge your scientific thinking skills. Ask questions, hypothesize, gather and weigh evidence, and draw your own conclusions. With activity at the core of this exhibit, you'll not only apply your thinking skills to the mechanics of movement, you'll also set most of the experiments in motion.

Learn about harmonic motion, momentum, and mechanical advantage. Hop onto swings to measure how long it takes to go back and forth. See a seesaw in a new light by balancing on it with a friend, or race balls on different slides to determine which is the fastest. Twirl like an ice skater, and compare your speed with one leg extended versus having both legs tucked in. And use a giant lever to see how much force it takes to lift 500 pounds of sand.