Ten-year-old Shraddha Singhvi pants as she works the hand turbine. Before letting go of the handle after a full two minutes of arduously rotating it furiously, she shows her friends the impact on an electronic screen that records a rise in electricity level.
Little Shraddha and her friends have just learnt how mechanical energy is converted to hydroelectric energy. Without much ado they have learnt the inner workings of a hydroelectric power plant.
“This is so much better than learning in our class. Here we get to see how these things work, and having done it with my own hands I will not forget how this works,” an animated Shraddha told The Hindu .
The Visvesvaraya Technological Museum's new Electrotechnic Gallery abounds with such live models that allow students to understand the concepts behind complicated scientific theorems and laws they learn at school.
A PVC rod to demonstrate static electricity and a simple demonstration of the extremely confusing Fleming's Left Hand Rule in magnetism are a few examples. Another kiosk that generated a buzz among children and elders alike was a weather station where you stepped in, faced the camera and figured out how to be a weatherperson on television.
This gallery is the latest edition to this museum that has several such exhibits on biology, biotechnology and other sciences.
This gallery, located on the first floor, cost Rs. 70 lakh to build.
