New Arrival: Science!

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Science does not know its debt to imagination," and if that's true, I can hardly think of a better place to make science pay off that debt than the basement of a public library.

We've been blessed here at the Missoula Public Library with some wonderful exhibits on loan from spectrUM, an interactive science museum located just across the river at the University of Montana. Right now we have a Gravity Well and a Chaotic Pendula.

I especially like the chaotic pendula, which could be a great name for a heavy metal band stuck in the eighties. Imagine the name chiseled out of rock with lightning bolts erupting in all directions...

Anyway, what better thing for a library to have than an exhibit design to explain chaos. Each spin will result in a different series of twists, turns and tumbles based on miniscule differences in the way the center knob is turned. If you've never seen one and can't make it to the library, here's a video:



There's a third exhibit on the way, which I assume will be here by the end of the week. Be sure to take a look at the exhibits next time you're in the library.