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Jerusalem’s Bloomfield Science Museum is engaging young visitors with its new permanent exhibition, “Horsepower,” which opened last Friday, providing a hands-on approach to physics and energy concepts.
Aimed at kindergarteners, elementary schoolers, and high schoolers, the exhibit challenges participants to interact with various exhibits that involve energy generation and the science of motion, light, and magnetism.
While the young attendees may not fully grasp the physics behind the demonstrations, the experience is designed to leave lasting impressions about the power of energy and inspire future scientific inquiry.
One of the key features of the exhibition is its interactive displays, where children can turn wheels to set objects in motion, create light, generate magnetic fields, and even produce hydrogen to propel a miniature rocket at the top of a column.
These hands-on activities are intended to make the fundamental principles of physics come to life, sparking curiosity and encouraging further exploration as the children grow older.
At the exhibit’s opening, Bloomfield Science Museum staff were on hand to ensure that the exhibits functioned smoothly despite constant interaction from curious visitors.
Some of the museum’s Jewish and Arab guides led groups, explaining complex scientific concepts like pendulum motion, kinetic and potential energy, and the generation of electricity through magnetism.
Children also participated in special workshops where they created their own pendulums that produced light and assembled mini helicopters inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s designs.
These devices were taken home by the young participants, providing them with a tangible memory of the exhibition and the lessons learned.
The exhibition includes signage in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, ensuring that all visitors can easily access information about the science behind each display.
One of the main attractions of the exhibition is a motor-driven pendulum that swings back and forth, converting potential energy into kinetic energy and producing light through a magnetic coil.
This hands-on experience demonstrates the conversion of energy, providing a visual and practical understanding of physics.
Ron Eifer, director of the Sustainable Energy Division at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, which sponsored the exhibition, emphasized the importance of education in shaping the future of energy.
At the opening, Eifer explained, “Through this new exhibition, we aim to increase awareness about the energy issue and the challenges in the field and to transform hundreds of thousands of children each year into agents of change on the path to making the Israeli energy sector more efficient, advanced, and cleaner.”
Energy generation, especially renewable energy, is a central theme throughout the exhibit. Miniature turbines are on display, showing how wind energy can be harnessed to power light bulbs.
The exhibition educates visitors on the history and future potential of wind power, explaining how turbines convert wind energy into electricity, which can be stored or transmitted for use.
Wind energy has been used historically for purposes such as sailing and grain grinding, but today it is seen as a key component of the transition to renewable energy sources.
In addition to wind energy, the exhibition also explores how modern light bulbs have evolved from incandescent bulbs to energy-efficient LEDs.
Visitors learn how LEDs work by producing light through the movement of electrons, contrasting with older technologies like incandescent bulbs that convert most of their energy into heat.
As the exhibition explores the role of technology in improving energy efficiency, it encourages young minds to think about the future.
With innovations such as wind turbines for urban areas and more efficient lighting technologies on the horizon, the “Horsepower” exhibition aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and environmentalists to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the field of sustainable energy.