Brain Quiz
It's time to fire up your neurons, crank up your cranium and go head-to-head with Science Matters' brightest lab assistant, the sensational Gray Matter, in the Battle of the Brains.

Assemble your team and press any button to engage the brain. After careful contemplation, he'll send the first of ten fascinating science questions to your screen. Choose your answer by pushing the corresponding button. The faster you answer, the more points you get. Cooperation is essential. Every team member can answer and points are awarded for each correct choice. Challenge your team to master all ten.

Complete the course and your points are added to the team's total. Whose team will reign supreme?

CONCEPTS: general science knowledge, teamwork

Lab Animator
IT’S ALIVE!!!!! (cue the lightning and diabolical laughter)

Well.....at least it will be once you step up to the controls. It's an assembly line of air and sound and you engineer the outcome. The music and gas that emerge from four flasks are activated through a series of markers on the screen below.

Touch the circles on the screen to turn markers on or off. The arrows are used to adjust the tempo. Manufacture your own unique scientific melody by directing the computer when and where to produce notes and bubbles.

CONCEPTS: process control, melody, rhythm, inquiry

Pressure Flasks
Let's put Dr. Mundane on notice - the pressure's on and change is in the wind!

Can you summon up the force needed to move water through the tubes from one flask to other using only the power of air? The four valves at the front of the exhibit allow you to control the airflow into the flasks; some increase it while others decrease it. Cover two of the valves and observe what happens. Does the water level change? What combination will give you the push you need to get things flowing in the right direction?

CONCEPTS: air pressure, energy transference, displacement, inquiry

Magnet Sculpture
Dr. Mundane wants everyone to think alike. But you know that it's our differences that make us stronger, pull us together and create a magnetic environment for.......art!

Each of the three metal domes houses strong magnets. The bin below them is filled with a myriad of materials. Some you'll find attractive, while others will refuse to be drawn in. Push aside your inhibitions and build a one-of-a-kind sculpture that will bridge the gap between art and science.

CONCEPTS: magnetism, ferromagnetic and non-magnetic properties, magnetic fields, inquiry

Ferrofluid
Dr. Cy knows that sometimes it’s important to see past the big picture, to look closer, delve deep into the details and uncover the amazing attributes of our world on an infinitely, smaller scale.

To demonstrate, the dedicated doctor lingered in his lab forging a fiendishly fascinating formula. By suspending nano-sized iron particles in oil and placing them in a liquid carrier, he created Ferrofluid.
It sits motionless, contained in a clear canister and pinned in by two powerful magnets.

Adjust the positions of the magnets by turning the knobs. In the process, you'll discover how a little science knowledge and the magic of magnetic fields can bring this boring, black blob to life!

CONCEPTS: magnetism, magnetic fields, nano-scale, inquiry

Hack the System
Breaking into the evil Dr. Mundane's lair isn't going to be easy. It's going to take a total team effort, some serious science savvy, and a set of fairly flexible friends.

Step into the chamber and locate the keypad. For this mission to succeed, you'll have to get past the secret security code. Mundane changes his codes frequently, pulling them from a vast list of vocabulary words. Fortunately, he's forgetful, so he leaves himself a clue. Focus on the clue's meaning and use it to decipher the code. Enter your letter choice on the keypad, but beware, each wrong selection will trigger a laser.

A warning horn will sound before a laser is deployed and flashing lights will help you to predict it's path. Avoid the lasers! If any member of your team crosses a beam, the computer will initiate a system shutdown.

CONCEPTS: science vocabulary, teamwork, introduction to lasers

Light Wheel
Mundane's plan for world domination hinges on his ability to keep your thoughts focused on the ordinary, never looking beyond the obvious. To his delight, Dr. Cy N. Tist's Light Wheel appears to be nothing more that a repeating set of red lights -
repetitive, boring, monotonous..........perfect!

But, Dr. Cy's got a few optical tricks up his sleeve. All you have to do is give the wheel a good, hard spin and keep your eyes focused on the lights.

Your eyes see the dots as they move and send images to your brain. Dr. Cy knows that your brain holds onto each image for a split second, while your eyes process the next one. When the images change quickly, instead of seeing a series individual dots, your brain sees one continuous movement, allowing you to find the important message he's hidden inside.

CONCEPTS: persistence of vision, optical illusions

Obstacle Course
In your attempts to unravel the secrets of the world, you often encounter obstacles in your way. Dr. Cy advises all budding investigators to use these stumbling blocks to open up new roads of exploration and different ways of thinking. To prepare your mind and your body for the challenge, he created the Obstacle Course.

Press the start button and wait for the "GO." Dive into the portal and race against the clock as you climb over, around and through obstructions in your path.

Once you've successfully navigated the perils and pitfalls, climb out and stop the clock. Flex your brain a bit more and graph your time.


CONCEPTS: fitness, overcoming obstacles, graphing

Gear Wall
Here's a challenge with teeth.

Each of the grid panels has a fixed gear at the top and another on the bottom. Your objective is to select additional gears from the barrel and engineer a combination that will connect the two together. The correct train of thought will generate bells of celebration for all the world (okay, just the people next to you) to hear!


CONCEPTS: complex machines, gear trains, gear ratios, work, energy transference, inquiry

Pulley Chair
Have you ever found yourself weighed down by heavy thoughts? Dr. Cy N. Tist suggests a session or two on his uplifting apparatus, The Pulley Chair.

Pulleys and ropes intertwine to block those weighty problems, tackle your doubts and lighten your workload. Sit in the chair, grasp the rope and pull yourself up into a world where science makes almost anything possible.


CONCEPTS: complex machines, work, energy transference