H2O – Soak Up the Science Exhibit Themes, Descriptions and Curriculum Links
Questacon’s H2O – Soak Up the Science exhibition in Gallery 8 (based in Canberra), contains hands-on exhibits that are suitable for visitors
aged 8 years through to adults. Each exhibit explores the physical properties of water and how these properties have shaped our environment.
This document lists H2O exhibit names, descriptions, key themes and subject areas, plus how H2O links to the Australian National Science
Curriculum.
The following suggestions and questions are also useful for strengthening the educational experience for students and encouraging them to
connect exhibit concepts to what they encounter in their everyday lives.
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How much water do you use every day?
Should we count how much water is used to manufacture something?
Is it easy to extract freshwater from saltwater?
What do you notice about raindrops trickling down a window?
Does it take much energy to boil a cup of water?
If we run out of water in our dams, how can we obtain an alternative supply?
H2O – Soak Up
the Science
Exhibit Name
Exhibit Description
Key Themes
Subject Areas
Boil Water
Turn handles to generate energy and heat a 100 ml sample of
water until it starts to boil. The amount of energy required to
heat then boil 100 ml of water is unexpectedly high. Consider
how much energy is required to boil a kettle of water to make a
mug of tea or coffee.
water, boil, steam,
phase change,
energy, vaporise,
latent heat
Physics – thermodynamics (heat)
Press a button to change the position of a heat source at the
base of a clear water tank. Watch how the water moves as a
result of newly-created convection currents and how older
convection currents in the tank change or collapse. Convection
currents in water (or air) cycle around as water cools down and
sinks, then warms up and rises.
water, current,,
convection, ocean,
heat, cycle, weather
Physics – thermodynamics (heat)
The Coriolis effect is what you observe when water moves a
certain way due to rotation. In this circular fountain, nozzles on
the central spindle and nozzles extending out from the central
spindle, spray jets of water angled towards the centre. When
the fountain is spun around, the jets of water travel in
unexpected ways, demonstrating the Coriolis effect.
water, Coriolis, spin,
cyclone
Digital Waterfall/
World of Water
Water is more precious and scarce than we realise. Search for
data on rainfall, water footprint, the amount of freshwater
available and the percentage of people with access to
freshwater and see the results on a large, dynamic display.
water resources,
rainfall, data, water
footprint, population
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Evaporation
When water evaporates, it absorbs energy to change state
from liquid water to water vapour gas. Watch water evaporate
via a thermal camera and observe energy being absorbed as
(as latent heat) as the water changes state from liquid water to
water vapour gas.
evaporation, water,
heat, phase change,
latent heat, state,
matter
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Convection
Coriolis
Chemistry – chemical energy
Earth science – geology
(volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion
& rocks)
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Physics – forces & motion
(inertia, gravity, push, pull,
acceleration)
Earth science – atmosphere &
meteorology (weather)
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
H2O – Soak Up
the Science
Exhibit Name
Exhibit Description
Key Themes
Subject Areas
Flow
Fluid dynamics describe how water flows around obstacles, or
how streams flow when they split and recombine. Arrange rock
pictures on the screen and observe how animated water flows
through the system you created. Try to control, divert, capture
and stop the flow of simulated water.
water, flow,
catchment,
multimedia, scienceart
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Future Cities
Water efficient technologies need to be considered when
planning cities and their water use. Build a route for stormwater
in a multimedia maze containing water harvesting and
recycling technologies. How may water efficient cities be
designed in the future?
water, sustainable,
technology,
efficiency, urban,
conservation
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Groundwater
Removing groundwater to use above ground can impact on
groundwater resources. A scaled model of a rural property with
water tank, stream and groundwater reserve shows the
connectivity of surface and groundwater.
water, technology,
pump, rural, artesian,
groundwater
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
H2Rocket
Use electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen gas and
oxygen gas. The hydrogen gas can then be used to fire a toy
rocket into the air. After the hydrogen and oxygen gas have
combusted, they recombine to form water, which you can see
as droplets of water inside the rocket container.
water, electrolysis,
hydrogen, oxygen,
energy, chemical
formula,
photosynthesis
Chemistry – material science,
atoms & particles
Calculate how much water is used to manufacture items in our
daily lives, from food to clothing and cars. This multimedia
exhibit allows users to select an item and guess the amount of
embedded water in that object (i.e., the volume of water used
to manufacture a pair of jeans).
water, manufacturing,
conservation,
efficiency, embedded
content, consumer
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Hidden Water
Technology
Chemistry – chemical energy
Physics – forces & motion
(inertia, gravity, push, pull,
acceleration)
Chemistry – environmental
chemistry
Chemistry – material science,
atoms & particles
Technology
H2O – Soak Up
the Science
Exhibit Name
Exhibit Description
Hydrotram
A spectacular water sculpture representing the water cycle has water cycle, rainfall,
science-art
simulated thunderstorms and rainfall, to create flowing water
that moves around systems representing agricultural and urban
landscapes.
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Water tends to flow or meander in S-shaped streams when the water, flow, river,
surface is almost horizontal. This influences how streams and
meander, erosion,
rivers meander through landscapes. Tilt two very large trays
deposition
panels and forth to see how water runs across the panels when
they are tilted or flat. Water flows or meanders more on more
horizontal surfaces, but flows in straighter streams on steeply
tilted surfaces, possibly due to: surface tension, previously wet
surfaces, the way the flow starts and pressure changes within
the trickle.
Earth science – geology
(volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion
& rocks)
Extracting freshwater from brackish or salt water using reverse
osmosis is an energy-intensive technique. Turn a handle to
generate enough energy to separate a small amount of
freshwater from a brackish source of water.
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Meander
Reverse Osmosis
Key Themes
water, technology,
osmosis, filter,
membrane, energy,
molecules
Subject Areas
Earth science – atmosphere &
meteorology (weather)
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Chemistry – material science,
atoms & particles
Chemistry – chemical energy
Suck and Push
Tilt a Filta
It is easier and more energy efficient to pump water from below
than to try and draw it up from above. Try to either pump (push
up) or ‘suck’ (pull up) water in two very tall pipes. Compare
whether one pumping method requires more energy or is more
successful in moving water furthest up the pipe
water, pressure,
energy, pump,
groundwater
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Use oversized filters to model and explore how the size of
holes in membranes controls water filtration. The exhibit
contains a range of ball sizes that can pass through one or
more different-sized filters.
water, filter,
membrane,
molecules
Earth science – hydrology (water
cycles, quality & conservation)
Physics – forces & motion
(inertia, gravity, push, pull,
acceleration)
Chemistry – material science,
atoms & particles
H2O – Soak Up
the Science
Exhibit Name
Exhibit Description
Key Themes
Water Ripple
Water moves in transverse waves or ripples in response to
movement or vibration. A camera runs closed circuit video of
visitors in the gallery onto a video screen. As visitors move, a
special effect of rippling water is superimposed over video of
the visitors to represent these transverse waves.
water, ripple, capillary Earth science – hydrology (water
wave, multimedia,
cycles, quality & conservation)
science-art
Chemistry – material science,
atoms & particles
Subject Areas
Technology
Australian Curriculum Links
H2O – Soak Up the Science exhibits link to the Australian National Science Curriculum (particularly Science Inquiry Skills across all school
years). Core links indicate content that is directly covered within the exhibition, while optional links indicate content that is dependent on how
people use and facilitate various exhibits.
Foundation core links
Biological sciences (ACSSU002) Living things have basic needs, including food and water
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU004) Daily and seasonal changes in our environment, including the weather, affect everyday life
Physical sciences (ACSSU005) The way objects move depends on a variety of factors, including their size and shape
Foundation optional links
Chemical sciences (ACSSU003 ) Objects are made of materials that have observable properties
Planning and conducting (ACSIS011) Explore and make observations by using the senses
Year 1 core link
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU019) Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape
Year 1 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE022) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
Year 2 core link
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU032) Earth's resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways
Year 2 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE035) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
Year 3 core links
Chemical sciences (ACSSU046) A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat
Physical sciences (ACSSU049) Heat can be produced in many ways and can move from one object to another
Year 3 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE051) Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions
Year 4 core link
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU075) Earth's surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity
Year 4 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE062) Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions
Year 5 core links
Chemical sciences (ACSSU077) Solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties and behave in different ways
Use and influence of science (ACSHE217) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions
Year 5 optional links
Use and influence of science (ACSHE083) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect
people's lives
Use and influence of science (ACSHE217) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions
Year 6 core links
Use and influence of science (ACSHE100) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect
peoples' lives
Chemical sciences (ACSSU095) Changes to materials can be reversible, such as melting, freezing, evaporating; or irreversible, such as burning
and rusting
Year 6 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE220) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions
Year 7 core links
Chemical sciences (ACSSU113) Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of
techniques
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU222) Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment
Year 7 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE121) Science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as
industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management
Year 8 optional link
Use and influence of science (ACSHE136) Science understandings influence the development of practices in areas of human activity such as
industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management
Year 9 optional links
Use and influence of science (ACSHE161) Advances in science and emerging sciences and technologies can significantly affect people's lives,
including generating new career opportunities
Use and influence of science (ACSHE228) The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research
Year 10 core link
Earth and space sciences (ACSSU189) Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere and atmosphere
Year 10 optional links
Use and influence of science (ACSHE195) Advances in science and emerging sciences and technologies can significantly affect people's lives,
including generating new career opportunities
Use and influence of science (ACSHE230) The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research
Senior Secondary Years: Earth and Environmental Science
Unit 1: Introduction to Earth systems
Science as a Human Endeavour: The use of scientific knowledge is influenced by social, economic, cultural and ethical considerations
Science Understanding: Development of the atmosphere and hydrosphere
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Water is present on the surface of Earth as a result of volcanic outgassing and impact by icy bodies from space, water occurs in three phases
(solid, liquid, gas) on Earth’s surface
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Water’s unique properties, including its boiling point, density in solid and liquid phase, surface tension and its ability to act as a solvent, and
its abundance at the surface of Earth make it an important component of Earth system processes (for example, precipitation, ice sheet
formation, evapotranspiration, solution of salts)
Unit 2: Earth processes – energy transfers and transformations
Science as a Human Endeavour: Scientific knowledge can be used to develop and evaluate projected economic, social and environmental
impacts and to design action for sustainability
Science Understanding: Energy for Earth processes
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Thermal and light energy from the Sun drives important Earth processes including evaporation and photosynthesis
Science Understanding: Energy for atmospheric and hydrologic processes
 The movement of atmospheric air masses due to heating and cooling, and Earth’s rotation and revolution
Unit 3: Living on Earth – extracting, using and managing Earth resources
Science Understanding: Use of renewable Earth resources
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The availability and quality of fresh water can be influenced by human activities (for example, urbanisation, over-extraction, pollution) and
natural processes (for example, siltation, drought, algal blooms) at local and regional scales
Producing, harvesting, transporting and processing of resources for consumption, and assimilating the associated wastes, involves the use of
resources, the concept of an ‘ecological footprint’ is used to measure the magnitude of this demand