Experimentation --
Have you ever performed a scientific experiment? Studied a bug?
Taken apart a flower? Think of the ways you have examined the
world around you. Before this century, scientific discovery was
often made by amateur scientists who were just exploring their
neighborhood for curiosity's sake. The invention of modern
instruments like the microscope by amateurs allowed future
scientists like biologists, chemists, and physicists to develop
their own professions.
Science as Entertainment
-- Can you think of any entertainment shows you have seen where
science was used? A magic show? Bill Nye the Science Guy? Many
early scientists were like traveling performers, taking their
inventions on the road to present wonders in shows purely for
entertainment. Have students think about the science behind the
entertainment they enjoy.
Automatons, Robots, and Artifical
Life -- Why do we create these machines? Do they
really help us live better lives? Many of the objects in the
exhibition attempt to recreate or copy the natural world and
are the precursors of modern virtual reality. What is the purpose
of duplicating the natural world?
Past Discoveries -- Science
builds on previous discoveries, always looking to the future. What
can we learn from looking at past discoveries?
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