The world that surrounds us is in constant motion. Electrons, atoms, molecules, light, sound, machinery and planets. They all move. Our body also moves: we walk, we run, we laugh, we touch different objects... People have always sought to discover and understand the laws that govern motion. They observed the movement of planets in the sky but also studied phenomena associated with movement of small particles such as electrons. The knowledge acquired in this way has been used to create machines and tools that make our lives easier.

This gallery will focus on the motion-related phenomena. Here we will learn, among other things, about the principles governing the movement of electrons, molecules, light and sound waves, machines and humans. Interactive exhibits will demonstrate phenomena and objects that we know from everyday life.

We will experiment in the following sections of the gallery:

• The Spinning World
Why is it that we do not fall from a roller coaster? Is it possible for anything to roll uphill? Why does everything finally slow down? Here we will investigate the rules that govern motion. We will learn for instance that the strange feeling we experience on a roller coaster ride is not only fear and excitement. It is also the sensation of our internal organs rubbing against one another under a changing gravity load that either pushes us into our seats or lifts us out.

• Waving, Waving
Waves transfer energy from one location to another. When we think about waves, the image of a churning sea springs to mind. But light and sound are waves too. Here we will examine the properties of wave motion. We will see that our own voice reaches ears not only by air but also by vibrating bones of the skull. We will use our voice to draw shapes on the screen. There will be an opportunity to feel the impact of a seismic wave. We will check which is faster: a hurricane or a sound wave?

• Try and Move Like a Human Being
The human body is an example of a brilliantly designed and constructed mechanism with 206 bones, 240 joints, nearly 500 muscles, a sense of balance and unfailing coordination of movement. Will robots ever become as dexterous as we are? For example, the structure of the human hand is so complex that robot designers are still not able to reproduce it accurately. Thanks to a special glove we will see how the joints, muscles and tendons of our hand work. We will also try an artificial arm while building a tower of blocks.

• Vortexes and Fountains
Air, water, thick gelatine dessert, mercury droplets or even asphalt. To a physicist they are all fluids. By examining their movement we will learn, for instance, why tornados wreak havoc in America. We will have the chance to create our own tornado and try to reshape it. We will also see how man has exploited phenomena associated with the movement of fluids to build aircraft or submarines.




• Big Machine
An installation made up of several levers, spacers, turbines and a container filled with coloured balls. Visitors, often using the power of their own muscles, will put into motion successive elements of the Big Machine to transport the balls. Conscious use of the machine’s functionalities will help us to learn Newton's laws and other laws of mechanics, as well as understand the working principles of simple machines such as levers, spacers and turbines.

• Revolutions of Celestial Spheres
We will learn more about gravitational force and how to overcome it; we will also find out what levitation is.

• Faraday Street
In this section we will learn the role of electrons and other electric charge carriers in the formation of electric current. We will also see how to produce electricity by means of, for instance, a magnet.



• Flying Circus
Why is Foucault’s pendulum proof of the Earth’s rotation? How is a hydrogen fuel rocket constructed? Here we will also have an opportunity to ride a bicycle on a thin rope suspended at the height of first floor. Why won’t we fall?




On the Move gallery is currently at the execution phase. Interactive exhibits have been designed and are currently being constructed by the Dutch consortium of Bruns and Northern Light. Multimedia is being prepared by the Dutch agency KissTheFrog. Some of the exhibits are produced solely by the Copernicus Science Centre. The exhibition will open to the public in mid 2010, along with the first module of the Copernicus Science Centre building.