What if the answer is an experiment?
Why are soap bubbles never square? Is poop always brown? How many atoms do you need to see a color? There are plenty of ways to answer a scientific question. You can explain the theory, show a diagram or give someone the facts. But sometimes, it is much more convincing to simply see what happens…
For NEMO Science Museum, 40 questions were turned into 40 short films. Many of them became original experiments designed to turn the science behind a question into something you could see, test and experience for yourself.
Why does something sink in a swimming pool, but floats in the sea? Something that sinks in fresh water can float in salt water. So put some fruit at the bottom of an aquarium, add salt, stir, and watch it slowly float to the surface.
And is there really iron in your breakfast cereal? Sounds pretty abstract, until you hold a magnet against a bag of crushed cornflakes and watch tiny specks of iron move towards it…
Can you use microwaves to create light? Does your skin wrinkle faster in salt, sweet, or soapy water? Is a m3 of seawater just as heavy as tapwater?
Why are dog years different to human years? Do babies fart before they are born? How does Wi-Fi work?
Coming up with the experiments meant looking for the simplest way to make a scientific principle visible, without losing the science behind it. What could you actually test? What would make the result immediately understandable? And how could you capture that moment on camera?
That meant a lot of experimenting before the actual experiments could be filmed. Ideas were tested, adjusted or discarded. Scripts were written around what actually worked, and the experiment and the way it would be filmed were designed together. The result had to be scientifically sound, but also simple enough to understand in seconds and interesting enough to make you want to try it yourself.
And you could try it for yourself: Each experiment came with step-by-step instructions, so the science didn’t have to stay inside the film. You could repeat it at home or at school and see what happened for yourself.
Can radiowaves turn on lights? Can you make a stink-bomb from hair? How many ingredients does cheese have? How does an electromagnet work? Is all air the same weight?
Not every answer fits inside an experiment. Sometimes a scientist took over, using demonstrations, objects and examples to explain what was happening and why. A little more explanation, but still something to look at, follow and understand rather than just a talking head giving you the answer.
In total we answered 40 questions with 40 films. But besides that, we figured out 40 ways to motivate people to stay curious.
Credits
Concept & execution: Merel Witteman
Made in the context of: Cyberweerbare Senioren, initiated by Jurian Strik,
in collaboration with City Deal Lokale Weerbaarheid Cybercrime,
Agenda Stad & Centrum voor Criminaliteitspreventie en Veiligheid (CCV)
