When turned, a large map of the United States is illuminated with hundreds of colorful lines depicting the vast natural gas system in this country - enough miles of lines to circle the equator eight times. How Coal is Formed Visitors are invited to push down on a horizontal bar to test their ability to make coal. They find it requires more force than they can muster to get to the level on the display that corresponds to how long it takes to form coal. The exhibit demonstrates that a traditional fuel source like coal cannot be created overnight, conveying the precious nature of fuel resources on which we depend. This exhibit explores the amount of fuel needed to power an everyday need - light.
Visitors pile chunks of coal onto a scale which, in turn, lights the bulbs, one by one.
Geiger Counter Visitors rotate a large Lazy Susan-like disc containing everyday objects to a Geiger counter. The Geiger counter's clicking sound indicates radiation emissions from the common objects, demonstrating varying radiation levels in objects of everyday life. Energy can be transformed from one form to another. Some energy is lost in the form of heat, making some of it unavailable for further useful work. Matter can be converted to energy.