Science has a reputation for being difficult, and many people shy away from science, but this should not be the case. The first step to coming to understand science is to experience it first-hand. The Children's Ferrite and Science Museum provides a sound place to do just that. Many displays may seem strange and mysterious, but doesn't that arouse curiosity? There are plenty of laughs and fun to be had at the CFSM. Please come and see for yourself that science isn't as complicated as many of us thought it was.
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When sunlight enters a prism the seven colors of the rainbow can be seen. Those colors are: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. However, sunlight is usually perceived as only a bright white or yellow color by human eyes. Why can we see the seven colors of the rainbow with the help of a prism? This is due to differences in the length of the colors. When the sunlight passes through the middle of a prism, it is separated according to its natural characteristics resulting in the various colors. Because of the different speeds of the light passing through the prism, we can see seven colors. In everyday life some examples of this are: rainbows, sunsets, and mirages. This is just one of the wonders of science. Ten prisms, each 10 cm by 10 m have been installed in the CFSM building. They were installed in the entrance hall and are surrounded by huge glass walls making the entrance hall into a giant greenhouse! See if you can find your own rainbow through the prisms.
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Have you ever wondered why your feet get cold very quickly? One of the reasons is a characteristic of air! Air rises when it is warm and sinks when it is cool. So, the warmer air is always higher. The cooler air helps to chill your feet. Another characteristic of air is that when you compare the weight of warmed air and cooled air, you will find the same amount of air possesses different weights. Though it is not visible to the human eye, air shrinks, gains and losses weight, and in general changes its form around you. The air inside the balloon is warmer than the air around the balloon so the balloon rises. While at its pinnacle, the air inside the balloon cools, and it slowly falls back down.
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When you see the flash of a camera, do your eyes blink uncontrollably? This is just one strange characteristic of our eyes, but there are others. For example, if you look at a set of pictures that are all slightly different and flip through them one by one, it appears as if the object in the picture is moving. This is one way in which cartoons and comics can be made. Psychological pictures often exemplify another interesting phenomenon; a famous one being that of a vase which may also resemble two faces to some individuals. Another common trick played on our eyes can be identified by two lines, each the same length as the other, but one appears to be longer than the other. This is because one line has arrows pointing out ( >-< ) and the other has arrows pointing in ( <-> ). Which do you think looks longer? These are just some of the ways in which our eyes are deceived. Come and see what other surprises await your eyes at the CFSM.
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