After reviewing TechnoFrolics' Power Distribution exhibit design, the nationally-acclaimed museum master planning and design firm Hands On!, had this to say....

"...Because of its complexity and potential danger, electricity is one of the most difficult subjects to make intuitive and accessible for everyday visitors in a hands-on setting. The "failure rate" for most electricity-based exhibits (i.e., the rate at which people get frustrated, believe the exhibit is broken, or feel incompetent with technology) is extremely high and, consequently, counter-productive to the idea of science centers as places where people go to learn and feel more empowered to participate in science.

The PDE, on the other hand, helps the visitor draw an immediate correlation
between energy and work (particularly as it relates to everyday objects and
activities-imperative for helping people make connections between science
and their lives), understand concepts such as energy transfer and
resistance, and create simple circuit pathways safely and easily. Even more
important, the PDE combines science with creativity and multi-sensory
experiences for the visitor, inviting them not just to push a button or flip a
switch, but to think creatively about different pathway arrangements and
kinetic combinations. By lifting the science of electricity out of the textbook
phenomenon realm and elevating it to a creative, open-ended experience of
many possibilities, the exhibit gives the visitor the opportunity to discover
that science isn't just a class-it's a tool that anyone can use to bring an idea
to life. As exhibit designers, that is our single most important goal."

.
.
.
.

"Keep those great ideas coming!

Sincerely,

Sharon L. Rupe
Exhibition Content Developer"