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| Aeolian
Landscape |
| |
Los
Angeles – Where can you create
a miniature wind-swept desert landscape, make
cloud rings or effortlessly roll square wheels?
The answer lies in the "Explorazone"
Exhibit on display at the California Science Center
through August 16, 2004.
The
innovative exhibit, designed to make science,
math and technology engaging, exciting and fun,
will feature 33 all new hands-on displays from
San Francisco’s Exploratorium. This set
of Explorazone exhibits focuses on wind, weather,
turbulence, math, motion and illusion.
In
“Aeolian Landscape,” a miniature wind-swept
desert scene mimics the process of wind picking
up and depositing small particles using an electric
fan and finely ground sand. You can change the
direction of the fan and notice how the shape
of the miniature dunes influences the pattern
of the wind, which in turn influences the shape
of the dunes.
 |
| Tornado |
| |
Math
and motion come into play in an exhibit like “Square
Wheels,” where curves and bumps combine
with math allowing guests to effortlessly roll
square wheels. Weather is explored in "Cloud
Rings" and other phenomenon-producing exhibits.
"Cloud Rings" uses a mist generator
and a large rubber membrane with a hole in the
middle to launch a ring of vapor up to the ceiling,
simulating a floating cloud. "Tornado"
produces a large, enclosed tornado with mist and
fans. This exhibit, which has been duplicated
by several other museums since it was first produced
by the Exploratorium, is the latest version, intentionally
"de-tuned" so that random air current
can cause both the creation of a tornado and its
temporary cessation.
Chaotic
and unpredictable much of the time, it presents
a delightful and ever-changing image. Some of
the other exhibits included in this round are,
"Turbulent Orb", "Circling Wave
Umbrella", "Tectonic Basin" and
"Illusions Package".
Editor's
Note:
The California Science Center is located at 700
State Drive – Exposition Park, Los Angeles.
Enter visitor parking at 39th & Figueroa;
parking is $6 per car. Activities are on all three
floors of the Science Center. Open daily from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to Science Center
exhibits is free; for general information, phone
323.SCIENCE (323.724-3623) or visit our website
at http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/. Both
the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair
accessible. |
