Museum of Science, Boston

Exhibit [Return to listing page]

With activities and experiments that are both fun and educational, this highly interactive exhibit gives visitors practice in thinking like a scientist. We provide equipment and materials to do a variety of investigations with some ideas on how to get started. From there, it's up to you to decide where to go.

The exhibit is divided into three sections. In "The Lure of Questions," visitors learn that a critical aspect of thinking like a scientist is the ability to ask the right questions. Come up with your own theories by asking questions about the world around you. Here you can examine a variety of mystery objects, from old-fashioned tools and trendy kitchen gadgets to natural wonders. Black-box mysteries provide tactile and auditory experiences to invite additional questions and theories.

In "The Search for Evidence," you can design and carry out investigations to test your own theories with the help of user-friendly equipment. Design, build, and race a scale model solar car to develop and test hypotheses. Design a car which is able to carry a lot of weight, or invent a car which can run on the least amount of light. At a central racetrack, cars race against a split-second timer to measure performance. At a series of surrounding investigation stations, you can explore the elements of good solar car design.

Finally, in "The Art of Drawing Conclusions," you can explore the discovery site of a midden, or garbage dump, of a past settlement. Using scientific measurements, you can investigate the evidence and draw your own conclusions about who used this site. Was this site a seasonal campground or a shellfish processing station? You be the judge.

Please note: This exhibit is undergoing renovation. Some components might be closed on the day of your visit.