Spinning water

How does the exhibit work?

Spin the wheel. The water moves away from the centre.

What is the science behind it?

Start spinning! The water then moves away from the centre. But the wall of the tank blocks the water! As a result, it accumulates against the wall.

The shape of the water surface becomes a parabola.

Parabolas for astronauts

Do you want to know how it feels to be weightless? You can imitate weightlessness. Astronauts use an airplane that flies in a special pattern. The shape of the flight path is a series of parabolas! At the top of each parabola, you are weightless for about 20 seconds.

Many people get nauseous. That is why they call this plane the 'vomit comet'.

Parabolas in radio telescopes

How do you look for aliens? That's where radio telescopes come in!

These telescopes consist of large parabolic dishes. They pick up radio signals from space. Researchers hope to pick up signals that indicate extra-terrestrial life.

Parabolas in solar mirrors

These are large, parabolic mirrors with a straight tube filled with water or oil on top.

Thanks to the shape of the mirrors, the sun rays all bounce towards the tube. This causes the tube to heat up tremendously. You can use this heat to generate electricity.