Exposition "Fantastique physique !"

Kinnersley thermometer, Ramsden machine, Ruhmkorff coil, Crookes tubes? These instruments with their enigmatic names are precious elements of a scientific heritage that is still little-known, yet very well represented at the Musée national de l?éducation (Munaé).

The history of science education presents a vast field of investigation. Continuing its in-depth work on the subject, the Munaé is now offering a participatory exhibition, in which the viewer takes an active part in his or her visit: "Fantastique Physique!

Thanks to the museum?s remarkable holdings, this exhibition invites visitors to discover "science in the making", with an eye to the beginnings of the specific instruction that is "physical" science. Initiated in the elementary school of the Third Republic, its development has continued unabated, even in secondary education, from the Napoleonic lycée to current methods. The exhibition is structured around three themes: optics, weights and measures, and electricity. Alongside the spectacular instruments, you?ll find textbooks, photographs, teaching aids and students? work: some 130 objects providing a complete recontextualization.

Visitors of all ages will find manipulative stations at the heart of the tour, echoing the heritage works on display. To be used independently, these stations are modelled on the practical work carried out in the classroom at the beginning of the 20th century. Until then, the sciences had occupied little space and were taught in the same way as the humanities: through lectures. The role of experimentation as the foundation of students? intellectual training has grown steadily since then, and is highlighted in this exhibition.

Physics is fantastic!