Wednesday, August 25, 2010
"a Ferris wheel you can drive to school"
This movie is from a science-museum trip on Saturday. Aunt Amy joined us for a little while before she had to leave for home. After that, Sam and I wandered around and ended up in an area where kids and parents can build with building blocks called Kid K'nex--21st century erector-set parts, I suppose. Sam really got into it, and together we built the Ferris wheel seen in the movie. And, happily, the museum allows parents to weigh and purchase what they've built, and for a price which certainly beats Toys R Us.
Another enjoyable element to this trip: I--and Sam, I think--learned new things about technology! They had several exhibits about generators, traffic lights, automobile blinkers, etc. I never knew bimetallic strips were so ubiquitous.
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2 comments:
Bi-metalic strips?
l,AA
Bi-metallic strips! It's a strip of metal with one type of metal on one side, and a different one on the other. The metals are chosen so they have different rates of expansion when heated. So, as you heat the strip, it will tend to curve. You can imagine, then, running a current through it so it heats up enough to bend out and press a button or complete a circuit.
I knew they were used in thermostats. Didn't know they were used in blinkers. There are other uses too, but it's too early for me to remember them. :-)
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