360

As I watched 2 children fly the helicopter into Swan River, one couldn’t help being glad for the age restrictions on piloting aircrafts…

No, I did not consequently wake up and realise it was all just a dream. I was witnessing the aforementioned minors fly a simulated helicopter at Perth's science and technology learning centre (aptly named SciTech). What I was really thinking was I hope they get bored soon and let me have a go, after all it was a life sized helicopter, pretty cool hey! In fact the whole place was pretty cool, but I’ll bring you back to the beginning. I was told of this place by Margret, the same person who also suggested a night jump into the pool, and it sounded like a great way to vary up the science lessons that I am giving Ali (plus I was obviously excited to go for my own enjoyment).

Upon arrival at SciTech we were faced with blood… Ali had a nosebleed, so we diverted into the toilets for 10 minutes whilst she tried to stem the flow (Ali is unfortunate to have the Niagara Falls of nosebleeds, on my first exposure to them she wasn’t as quick to grab tissues and I walked into her bathroom, which resembled a bloody murder scene like anything Hollywood could produce, and that is hardly an exaggeration). Now that I’ve grossed out a good proportion of you, I’ll get back to the science (the centre, not of the nosebleeds). 

So first thing was a High Voltage Show and I did half guess that there would be a machine which would make your hair stand up, though the way they did it was more entertaining than my own thoughts. What they did have was a science actor, a group of freakishly clever school kids and a rather big Van der Graaff generator. For those of you who haven’t been in contact with one (quite literally) the idea is that the machine works up a positively charged surface area, which you touch and the voltage passes through your body and causes your hair to electrostatically repel itself^[1]. What I didn’t anticipate was the Tesla Coil. This machine is essentially a high frequency alternating current transformer^[2], or put simply a really cool way of producing lightning like electrical arcs.

From the theatre room we went to the Planetarium (yes, this place is pretty big) and was shown a video projected onto the dome taking us through our (southern) night sky and its constellations, then expanded to a virtual tour through our the planets of our solar system and the extreme weather they are subjected to (and you thought we had it bad) courtesy of the National Geographic society.

That over we finally made our way into the main interactive display area, where the fun really starts. To confirm that this isn’t me being hyperactive in an environment arguably aimed for kids, the other adults who had brought children were just as involved in the equipment as their kids were! Ok, where to start. Well the helicopter may be a good idea, as it was part of SciTech’s themed display which was Search and Rescue. But hey the helicopter wasn’t the only virtual toy in this party… jet skis! That’s right two of them, so you could have a race with someone else to find the person in distress (I hope that’s not what actually happens between the water rescue team). The fire department also had a virtual ‘put out the fire’ game, where you had to choose between 4 actual fire extinguishers/hose to use in different types of fire scenarios (through L.E.Ds), essentially I learnt that choose the dry chemical foam as the safest bet as it puts out most fires (hey I did learn something!) There was also a climbing wall (seriously, could this place couldn’t get any better) to mimic operations where you have to scale objects, to which I recalled my bouldering skills I acquired at university (not everything is learnt in the classroom!).

Ok I figure you can sense the level of fun I had by my excessive use of !’s. But I haven’t linked in the title of this blog ‘360’… well if you have ever wandered into the world of skateboarding or any extreme-wheeled sports, you would have wishful desire of completing a 360 degree loop. To which I can now say mission accomplished, on a bike! How?! I hear you cry, well essentially physics, but in lay-mans terms you sit on a bike and held there by a rollercoaster like body guard, the bike is attached via a pivotal mechanism a stationary hamster like wheel and you cycle back and forth building up momentum until you have enough speed to do a full loop^[3]… a surreal and dizzying experience for sure!

the loop ^[4]

(not my picture, I forgot my camera)

So they were the main attractions and there were many more besides, I didn’t get round them all, though the heat monitoring camera was pretty fun to pull out some ‘robotic’ moves and watch on the screen… as you do. I should also mention the science like ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ computer game where you work your way up the 5 stage science ladder from the highly insulting ‘Amoeba’ stage to the coveted title of ‘Scientist’. Firstly I would like to point out that this was science as in biology, chemistry and physics, ranging from anatomy to the elements to light years, so during my first attempts I fell into the middle and acceptable ‘science student’ category, though once I was informed my intelligence was comparable to a Lab Rat. The tables were turned when I teamed up with Margret’s young teenage son, and by our combined knowledge (and me already having gone through half the questions already on previous attempts) we achieved Scientist, which kind of means if I were ever to pursue postgraduate work in my field I would have to employ a child to help me out, hmmm.

On that note I think I’ll end the adventures of my science trip there, as I realise some of you will probably need to return to your real science work (Kate, Becca and other science/medic students) and for others this may have been the most science they’ve taken in since they left school. Hope ya’ll enjoyed it anyhow.

Live long and prosper


References (for more information on the science equipement mentioned):
1. Van der Graaf generator
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/vandeg.html
2. Tesler Coil
www.teslasociety.com/teslacoil.htm
3. Info on 360 bike
http://www.scitech.org.au/up-down-a-around/exhibitions/up-down-and-around.html
4. Photo of bike
http://www.showmeperth.com.au/sites/default/files/imagecache/full/360%20bike_0033_DLP1458.jpgound.html