Visweswaraya Museum

When my parents came to Bangalore I had a dilemma where to take them. I thought that taking them to temples and parks would be the safest option so that they won’t get bored. As it turned out I took them to Lal bagh the first day. They got bit tired after watching all the different trees and love-birds (pun intended). Then I wanted to take them to a place nearby. So I took them to Visweswaraya Museum.
My mom and dad have a nose for science. We used to watch science related programs on TV like Surabhi on doordarshan from my childhood itself. So they quite naturally loved the science stuff in the museum.
In the ground floor there were working models of various mechanical components especially engines. The Kamalhassan movie style balls moving through various pipes and taking different paths and finally reaching the starting point was fascinating to watch. Demonstrations of waves and ball moving up with the help of pedal power were nice learning experiences.
In the other floors there were models in Electronics, Space science and Bioscience. Electric arc formation during lightning was also demonstrated with good effect.
We also saw a 3D video show in which they showed about underwater exploration. At one point we felt as if a thing in that movie was moving straight towards our head. The 20 minutes video was awe-inspiring.
We also attended a science magic show. In that the ‘magician’ showed magic based on science. He burnt a paper but it didn’t change into ashes. It was brought back as it was before burning. He did that by soaking a paper in a chemical (whose name I don’t remember) and water mixture. He lit the paper with a matchstick. Due to lower density the chemical stays on top of the paper and it alone burns. The water saves the paper from burning.
He performed various tricks. Finally he called me up and asked me how many of his questions I have answered. I said none. So he said I deserve punishment and asked whether I want a single punishment or the same punishment 100 times. I obviously opted for the first one. He took one square board with a big nail on the center of the board and told me to sit over that. All broke into laughter and I told I would better go for the other punishment. Then he gave me another square board with 100 nails on that and told me to sit over that. He gave the board to another volunteer and told to check the sharpness of the nails. They were sharp indeed. I bravely(!) sat and the audience went silent for a moment. Nevertheless nothing happened. I knew nothing would happen because pressure = force / area. Since force was spread all over the area pressure would be less and hence I won’t tear my trousers and its contents.
If you get time do visit the museum once. It’s definitely better than spending time in parks and malls. What I have mentioned in this blog is very less. There are lots of interesting stuffs and I guarantee that you won’t get bored.