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November 11, 2009

Everyday objects get dues at Science Centre

By STEVEN HOWELL

MONTREAL — Bigger, better, faster, stronger.

The Montreal Science Centre presents "Strange Matter," an exhibition that gives proper homage to the everyday object. Glass and golf clubs, foam and fuel all get proper due. There are some two-dozen interactive display stations in all.

The goal of the exhibit is to explore how an object is made, examine the properties of the material at hand and then modify it to make it better, said Louise Julie Bertrand, Science Centre head of exhibitions.

Take, for example, glass.

"Glass has multiple uses," she said.

Indeed, we use glass for everything from home windows to car windshields.

"But glass is very fragile."

During the 1970s, many injuries during car accidents were not necessarily from the crash itself but from the resulting shattering of the windshield, she said.

"Today, tempered windshield glass is much more resistant," Bertrand said. "And when it shatters, it makes little cubes, not pointy shards that get in your skin."

By adding some molecules here and there, she said, we can modify the basic substance of a particular material.

"We can transform it into something else. We can improve it. We can make it better."

So now, glass is transformed into tempered glass. On display, a plate of tempered glass meets what might be considered its arch enemy — a bowling ball. Visitors can easily crank up the ball, which is attached to a lever, and hit the release button. Down flies the 8-pound missile directly into the plate of tempered glass.

Did it shatter? Not on my try, which measured among more than 400,000 attempts. In fact, in five years and two museum exhibitions, the plate has only shattered once.

"This is basic chemistry and physics at the atomic level," Bertrand said. "We just modify the molecules so they will perform better."

EVOLUTION TUNNEL
Next, the world of metals gets a material look. The newest technology explores amorphous metals, the strongest and most flexible in the world and found in the likes of surgeons blades and flexible solar panels. But while some metal objects help improve the safety of our lives, others let us have just a bit more fun.

Amorphous metals can also help objects bounce better, Bertrand said. And if you don't think we need a world with better "bouncing" metals, Tiger Woods certainly does. An interactive station lets you compare how different metals such as steel, titanium and aluminum bounce. But the most bouncy metal of all? Liquidmetal alloy, which is indeed found in the latest set of amorphous golf clubs.

Not all scientific advances are found in the hardest of metals. Sometimes, the material at hand can run right through your fingers.

One such object is ferrofluids, an oil that contains iron particles. Who needs ferrofluids? Astronauts, for one. Ferrofluids was developed by NASA to help fuel move along the fuel line in zero gravity using iron particles and the pull of a magnet.

The Materials Evolution Tunnel is also worth a look. Here we see a side-by-side comparison between modern humans and Otzi, a 5,300-year-old iceman recently found in the European Alps.

"When they found him frozen in the ice, there were all sorts of objects found next to him: axes, tools, weapons, clothes. And all of these objects were in pretty good condition because they were frozen soon after he died," Bertrand said. "So we established a parallel between the iceman and the material girl, a contemporary snowboarder."

The display teaches a long time line of the similarities and differences between objects of then and now. For example, it's easy for us to start a fire with a simple set of matches. But way back when, Otzi had to carry his fire with him — embers in a birch-bark basket — wherever he went. As for similarities, look no further than an ax. While the materials used are different, the shape has remained much the same.

"We don't realize how extraordinary everyday objects really are," Bertrand said.

"Strange Matters" continues through March 7, 2010. It's recommended for children ages 7 through 14.

The Montreal Science Centre is at the King Edward Pier in the Old Port. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. Admission costs $12 for adults, $11 for teens and seniors, $9 for children 4 to 12. Admission to the IMAX screenings cost extra; combo discounts are available. Call (514) 496-4724 or visit www.montrealsciencecentre.com.

E-mail Steven Howell at: writeonbetty@sympatico.ca

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