It investigates the regularities apparent in inanimate nature by means of theoretical study and experiment. It is an exact science, that is to say it expresses these relationships in mathematic formulas using precisely defined symbols. The arrangement of the exhibition follows the path of historic development which separated the different fields according to the human senses.
Mechanics deals with the movements of bodies, especially under the action of external forces.
Simple laws of mechanics and optics were already known in Greek Antiquity, but substantial progress began only around 1600. A theory of heat developed around 1700 with the construction of the first thermometers. Electrical phenomena, however, do not correspond directly to a single human sense perception. Their scientific study began in the 18th century. Philosophical speculation about the structure of matter, atoms and molecules can be traced back to Greek Antiquity.