Science museum Definition and 30 Threads

A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of subject matter and introduced many interactive exhibits. Modern science museums, increasingly referred to as 'science centres' or 'discovery centres', also feature technology.
While the mission statements of science centres and modern museums may vary, they are commonly places that make science accessible and encourage the excitement of discovery.

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  1. W

    Latest News: Tesla Museum Development in Wardenclyffe, Long Island

    Hello PF - I do not recall seeing this posted before, but they are working to develop a Tesla museum on Long Island - here is the latest news. Graphic is the link...
  2. B

    Novel Flying Device: Balloon Copter

    Any reason why the balloon could not be substituted for a turbine to make a practicle flying device . One that could have comercial use. http://www.presentsformen.co.uk/science-museum-balloon-copter-prod9413/?gclid=cpdtrkvg074cfcpmtaodrnoa5g
  3. H

    Frequency = mass or does it?

    Here's a puzzle that has been bothering me lately. I take as given the following: E = h\nu (Planck) energy equals frequency E=mc^2 (Einstein) energy equals mass mc^2 = h\nu (de Broglie) mass equals frequency The phase frequency of an electron is altered by an electromagnetic...
  4. K

    Alternatives to GUT and GUT Epoch

    I went to a science museum last weekend and saw timeline of the big bang. There is a "GUT Epoch" mentioned at the beginning but then how can this be when GUT (Grand Unified Theories) was not proven due to lack of proton decay, etc. What other alternatives beyond the standard model if the strong...
  5. F

    Science museums, monuments and tours in europe

    Hello everyone, My first post, will be asking a of some traveling advise. I want to spend a week in some country of Europe, but not just any country, I would love to hear if anyone knows of a country (and of course a city) where you can really explore physics in general, either by going to...
  6. C

    Calculating amplitude of pendulum

    Homework Statement In a science museum, a 100kg brass pendulum bob swings at the end of a 13.0m -long wire. The pendulum is started at exactly 8:00 a.m. every morning by pulling it 1.7m to the side and releasing it. Because of its compact shape and smooth surface, the pendulum's damping...
  7. Astronuc

    Computational Fluid Dynamics by John D. Anderson

    Author: John D. Anderson Title: Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Basics with Applications Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0070016852/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Calculus, Introductory Physics and/or Aerospace Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer Level...
  8. Greg Bernhardt

    Giant Squid finally caught on film

    How terrifying! I've always been a bit nervous of the blackness of the see and now there are confirmed monsters in it! http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57562424/giant-squid-filmed-alive-in-deep-sea-for-first-time/
  9. M

    Two explosions occur, spaceship is flying overhead at 0.6C, which occurs first?

    Homework Statement At 11h 0m 0.0000s AM a boiler explodes in the basement of the Denver Science Museum. At 11h 0m 0.0003s, a similar boiler explodes in the basement of a ski lodge in Aspen at a distance of 150 km from the first explosion. Show that in the reference frame of a spaceship moving...
  10. TestTubeGames

    Tesla Coil as Power Transmitter

    I've been trying to hash this problem out with some friends of mine, but we haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer: Tesla coils are (in an extremely basic sense) like a transformer. There are two coils of wire... the first one having a large current and not-so-large voltage. The...
  11. D

    A confused international undergraduate applicant - .

    Hello, I'm a high school senior from Turkey,and I will be applying to US (and possibly Canadian) institutions this year. Ok, this post is going to be a bit long,but as an international applicant,I have many questions about the admissions process even after hours of Googling,and I'm hoping that...
  12. R

    Image created by concave mirror, sight from a distance.

    Homework Statement A science museum has created a huge concave mirror with a focal length of 5 m, and mounted it so that it covers the entire wall at one end of a long hallway. If you stand on a center line painted down the middle of the hallway, you're on the mirror's principal axis. You...
  13. I

    Explore Manhattanhenge – the Manhattan Solstice

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattanhenge "Manhattanhenge – sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice – is a semiannual occurrence in which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main street grid in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The term is derived from...
  14. D

    How much torque needed to turn a 1.2m disc

    Hi I a building an exhibit for a science museum and hoped I could get some help with the math that is puzzling us. We need to turn three discs that are 1.2m, 0.8 and 0.6m in diameter at a speed of roughly 60rpm. Because it is a musuem they need a clutch and at the minute we are looking at a...
  15. K

    Oscillations of a Pendulum: How Many Complete by Noon and What is the Amplitude?

    Homework Statement In a science museum, a brass pendulum bob swings at the end of a 15m long wire. The pendulum is started at exactly 8:00 a.m. every morning by pulling it 1.5m to the side and releasing it. Because of its compact shape and smooth surface, the pendulum's damping constant is...
  16. Simfish

    News Eric Cantor's YouCut now poised to cut down questionable NSF grants

    Eric Cantor's YouCut now poised to cut down "questionable" NSF grants http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2010/12/asshat_eric_cantor_readies_tro.php Hmmm... I'm pretty sure that the following comment might temper some initial anger: (if the non-scientifically educated were actually good at...
  17. L

    What Is the Quality Factor of a Large Foucault Pendulum?

    Homework Statement A large Foucault pendulum such as hangs in many science museums can swing for many hours before it damps out. Taking the decay time to be about 8 hours and length to be 30 meters find the quality factor Q Homework Equations q=wo/2b decaytime=1/b wo=(k/m)^1/2 The...
  18. D

    Why use high frequency power supply for generating plasma?

    Why use high frequency power supply for generating plasma?? Hi everyone, I noticed that for the plasma ball common in science museum, power with high frequency should be used for generating so called plasma inside to give out colorful glow. But one thing I can't understand is why power supply...
  19. inflector

    Time as a Dimension or Projection?

    I see lots of references to time being the fourth dimension as well as there being 3 + 1 dimensions to spacetime as we know it, etc. I also see that time has to be treated differently in some of the constructs of physics. So it seems that time seems to be both similar and dissimilar to the other...
  20. H

    Car Struck by Lightning: Faraday Cage or Skin Effect?

    Most places I've read say it's because the car forms a Faraday cage, but a few say that is incorrect and that it's actually from the skin effect. The notable case of the latter explanation is from the Boston Museum of Science: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/cage.html This guy, Dr. Davis from the...
  21. M

    What are some educational activities to do in San Diego?

    Hello~I’m an Atlanta newby to this forum, and am looking for help in planning an educational vacation for my husband and me. We’re both 60(+/-), and yearly we must attend a 4-day work related conference that’s held in different parts of the country. We always get a rental car and tack on a few...
  22. russ_watters

    Do Men Really Lie More Than Women?

    http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/05/18/poll-men-lie-more-than-women-no-really/?hpt=Sbin Who wants first shot at the punch-line?
  23. G

    Why, oh why, don't many physics programs EDUCATE?

    http://www.newmancause.co.uk/" : Boy, after having obtained a B.S. degree in physics and astronomy from a state university, can I relate to this! My professors never required that I read, e.g., the original classic physics papers that liberal arts students at, e.g...
  24. T

    Monocycle/monowheel senior project

    Hello fellow engineers! I am a senior in high school and in love with everything science/math/engineering related. Starting within the next few weeks or so is the Senior project that everybody has to complete on any project of their choice. It's always been my dream to build a simple...
  25. V

    National Human Genome Research Institute

    Evolution :biggrin: Perhaps we can turn this into an educational thread for future reference? I'll start off and add more. From the National Human Genome Research Institute. Watch Darwin at 200: How Geneticists View Him Today by listening and watching this video from The National...
  26. C

    How do I know what science career is best for me?

    I was not able to finish high school and I am expecting to start college next year. I never got the chance to sit in a physics, chem, bio or any science department in high school. I've tried to volunteer at the Virginia Science Museum and even hospitals but they never needed help. Teachers at...
  27. B. Elliott

    News Exploring Boston: A Weekend Trip to Beantown

    Went to Boston, MA with a few friends over the weekend. Main places we visited were Paul Reveres house and grave site, the Old North Church, The Museum of Science, and the USS Constitution. I really wanted to get a few pictures around MIT, Harvard University, and Cambridge College. Also wanted...
  28. P

    Why did James Watson make controversial remarks about race and intelligence?

    I've always wondered why James Watson said what he did a while back in the article below: I even went out to find some information on intelligence and race, reread my biology notes, and I've found nothing correlating the different races with a set-average intelligence meter. Why would an...
  29. O

    Functioning DNA from an extinct animal

    So not only are researchers spelling out the genetic sequences of extinct creatures, they have now successfully inserted some DNA from an extinct animal into a modern day one and observed how that DNA functions. Amazing! Researchers took tissue from 100yr old museum specimens of a...
  30. Janus

    Dino-might exhibit of Chinese fossils at OMSI

    We went to see the exhibit of Chinese fossils at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) this last weekend, and I thought I'd share some photos. along with the fossils, they had some animatronic versions...
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