The Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM) here is all set to unveil a new exhibit — energy balls.
Aimed at familiarising visitors with the principle of energy conservation, the exhibit is clearly visible as one enters the museum premises.
Built using stainless steel at the museum’s own workshop, it introduces visitors to various scientific principles, and is akin to a roller coaster ride for balls.
Nylon balls of three inch in diameter are lifted to a height of 5 m in two ways — one using a mechanism that operates like Archimedes' screw and the other using chains — one almost opposite the other. Once the balls reach the top, they are dropped.
These swiftly travel different paths —there are five routes for balls on one side and four for the other — down slopes, through crests and dips, a helical path, through what looks like a basket in a basketball court, making for a fascinating sight.
During the journey of the balls, their potential energy in transformed into kinetic energy, and they performs tasks such as ringing bells and hitting a hammer on a metal plate, all demonstrating how the energy gained by the balls is converted to different energy forms, for instance sound energy.
