At times it seems more circus than science. Spread among the 250 exhibits are complex principles in physics and electronics hidden inside wild rides, laser special effects and high-tech gizmos. It's a learning experience the center hopes will sneak up on visitors as they enjoy the exhibits. Mr. Wells said. Then it may be five minutes or five hours later, it will subtly click.
Visitors see the scanning devices and identify the effect of their actions on the patterns.
The experience begins even as children and visitors are unloaded from a long driveway off Reynolds Street built to handle bus traffic. By moving levers at the bottom, visitors can move steel blades on top. With a huge counterweight hanging underneath the bicycle, visitors can ride the cycle out from the balcony onto a suspended rail, then back to the balcony without fear of falling, Mr. Wells said. A 1,050-pound granite boulder floats in a nearby cup, its weight naturally displaced by the water. Children can easily spin the boulder from one side and run to the other side to try and stop the spin, thereby learning a lesson about inertia, Mr. Wells said.