{"id":594,"date":"2015-08-03T13:44:08","date_gmt":"2015-08-03T12:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/?p=594"},"modified":"2020-08-26T18:23:27","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T17:23:27","slug":"vienna-technical-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/08\/03\/vienna-technical-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Vienna Technical Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Early<\/a>

Early X-Ray Machine<\/p><\/div>\n

The Vienna Technisches Museum<\/a> is housed, in the usual Viennese custom, in a grand white building, but you enter it via an underground atrium that looks as though it was originally designed as a car park. Nonetheless, once inside, the usual combination of efficiency, friendliness and impressive public spaces are all there. \u00a0This space serves as a marshalling yard and assembly area for the hordes of energetic kids on school outings, so you might want to get though as quickly as possible, but there are left-luggage lockers, drinks machines and toilets here, as well as a gift shop whose stock is not very relevant. \u00a0It’s a very kid-friendly museum, with special areas and exhibits for even very young children.<\/p>\n

It’s tempting to proceed directly up the grand staircase into the main exhibition spaces, but the two side galleries here are very much worth the digression.
\n<\/p>\n

On one side is one of the most impressive exhibitions on basic science I’ve ever seen. \u00a0‘Nature and Knowledge’ covers all the main areas of physical science; energy, forces and matter, heat, light and radiation, electromagnetics, atomic theory, gravity and, of course, astronomy.\u00a0 There is a historical trail, beginning with astronomy and ending with atomic clocks, and all exemplified by actual examples and interactive demonstrations of the principles involved.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Counter-Intuitive Coriolis Force. The Model Is Rotating Clockwise.<\/p><\/div>\n

Some of the hands-on exhibits are really very good, others perhaps could do with a re-think.\u00a0 For instance, the demonstration of how the counter-intuitive Coriolis force arises is one of the clearest I’ve seen, whereas the lead weight vs. a feather falling in vacuum would probably be more impressive on the moon, where you’d have time to see them fall.\u00a0 More thought-provoking was an inclined plane that appeared to disprove Galileo. \u00a0Two metal cylinders of the same external dimensions and the same mass (a balance is provided) travel down the slope at different rates. \u00a0Can you work out what is going on? I’ll leave the problem as an exercise. (Answer below!)<\/p>\n

The gallery also contains some fine examples of technology, from an ancient astrolabe through to some wonderful mid-20th machines, such as X-Ray equipment. \u00a0It’s fascinating to reflect on the skill and imagination required to create and use these historical instruments.\u00a0 One of Sir William Herschel’s telescopes is here, very similar to the one with which he discovered Uranus, and a fitting reminder of Herschel’s skill and prolific output as an instrument maker.\u00a0 See Royal Greewich<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Barometric<\/a>

Barometric Apparatus<\/p><\/div>\n

The other gallery in the entrance hall is devoted to the ‘In Motion’ exhibition on motion, animal and mechanical.\u00a0 Again, there are plenty of interactive exhibits, and a fair number of kids running around and completing worksheets.<\/p>\n

\"Cut-away<\/a>

Cut-Away Triple-Expansion Steam Engine.\u00a0 The Same Design As The Whispering Giants of Brede<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Cut-away<\/a>

Cut-Away Of Locomotive.<\/p><\/div>\n

Up the central stairway brings you to the main hall, a huge space with a mezzanine surround and open to all three floors.\u00a0 Here you’ll find heavy industry, including a steel furnace, lots of locomotives and steam engines, and exhibits on energy and the oil industry.\u00a0 Don’t miss ducking underneath the mezzanine floor for the mine and generator exhibits.<\/p>\n

\"Triple<\/a>

Triple Expansion Steam Engine Powering A Generator.<\/p><\/div>\n

Up another floor and there’s a large exhibition called ‘Everyday Life – Directions for Use’, which focuses on all the myriad ways in which technology plays a vital role in our lives.\u00a0 Complementing this is ‘At Work’, where the changes since the days of heavy industry, particularly computing, are represented by historical items – some great fun was had by the Scientific Tourist in revisiting ‘ancient’ computers from his youth.<\/p>\n

\"'Vintage'<\/a>

‘Vintage’ Honeywell CPU And Disk Drive. State Of The Art When The Scientific Tourist Started Programming!<\/p><\/div>\n

Anyone who knows the history of computing will recognise the front panel for the iconic PDP11 from Digital Equipment.<\/p>\n

\"Front<\/a>

Front Panel For The Iconic PDP11 From Digital Equipment.<\/p><\/div>\n

Next comes an exhibition which spans the worlds of work and life, the ‘Media Worlds’ space.\u00a0 As might be expected, much use is made here of modern multimedia and virtual exhibits, so it’s worth slowing down to explore the terminals (if you can get a moment when they’re not occupied by kids!)<\/p>\n

Fittingly for Vienna, there’s a large section on musical instruments, but the rest of the floor and central atrium is given over to the ‘Mobility’ exhibition, everything from bicycles to satellites.<\/p>\n

\"Vintage<\/a>

Vintage Cars And Bicycles<\/p><\/div>\n

\"String<\/a>

String And Canvas ‘Kites’ And Satellites.<\/p><\/div>\n

The museum has a website at Technisches Museum Wien<\/a>, with ‘in English the usual awkward idioms being only.’ Humour aside, it’s full of useful information about exhibitions and practicalities.<\/p>\n

I’d allow at least 2-3 hours to really get the best from the place, depending on how busy it is.\u00a0 It’s only 150m up the road from the Sch\u00f6nbrunn palace, so it’s easy to combine with the more conventional tourist trail.\u00a0 The palace gardens also make an excellent break from being indoors – bring your own picnic.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The View From The Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace Gardens. The Technical Museum Is The Red Domes Just Above The Right Side Of The Palace.<\/p><\/div>\n

Top Tips<\/h3>\n

Time your visit to include the High Voltage Demonstration. \u00a0 This includes great electrical effects using very high voltages.\u00a0 It will literally make your hair stand on end. \u00a0 Static, lightning and all the fun of the fair. \u00a0 It’s spectacular, literally electrifying, and quite appropriate given the fact that Tesla (of the eponymous coils – seen here) is a scion of Vienna.\u00a0 The tours are usually in German, but occasional English versions are run.<\/p>\n

Also, don’t miss the Cloud and Spark chambers in Nature and Knowledge.\u00a0 Watch as cosmic rays and background radiation passes through you!<\/p>\n

Disproving Galileo<\/h3>\n

OK, worked it out? \u00a0 Although you can’t see it, the two cylinders have different mass distributions.\u00a0 One has most of the mass arranged uniformly throughout the length and width of the cylinder, the other has a hollow centre, so the mass is all at the outer surface. \u00a0 This gives a large difference in the angular momentum of the cylinders, and so they move at different speeds. Easy, huh?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Vienna Technisches Museum is housed, in the usual Viennese custom, in a grand white building, but you enter it via an underground atrium that looks as though it was originally designed as a car park. Nonetheless, once inside, the usual combination of efficiency, friendliness and impressive public spaces are all there. \u00a0This space serves as a marshalling yard and assembly area for the hordes of energetic kids on school outings, so you might want to get though as quickly as possible, but there are left-luggage lockers, drinks machines and toilets here, as well as a gift shop whose stock is not very relevant. \u00a0It’s a very kid-friendly museum, with special areas and exhibits for even very young children. It’s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,11,36,19,13,9,7,17],"tags":[25,12,20,33,32,30,18],"class_list":["post-594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-history-of-science","category-history-of-technology","category-museum","category-railways","category-steam","category-technology","category-vienna","tag-history-of-science","tag-history-of-technology","tag-museum","tag-railways","tag-steam","tag-technology","tag-vienna"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6XHo8-9A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":584,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/07\/07\/vienna\/","url_meta":{"origin":594,"position":0},"title":"Vienna","author":"ablockhead","date":"7th July 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Scientific Tourist very much enjoyed his brief visit to Vienna.\u00a0\u00a0 The city is everything a European capital should be;\u00a0 elegant, clean, safe, and devoted to knowledge and culture. \u00a0\u00a0 Grand but graceful buildings are set along wide, tree-lined boulevards, and even on the side streets the apartment blocks are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Iconic Ferris Wheel at Prater Park","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":665,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/11\/17\/vienna-natural-history-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":594,"position":1},"title":"Vienna Natural History Museum","author":"ablockhead","date":"17th November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"C P Snow famously wrote about what he called the 'Two Cultures', one of science and another of the arts, which he saw as being locked in mutual incomprehension leading to conflict. \u00a0In Vienna, they stand face to face across an elegant square of lawns, statuary, fountains and topiary. \u00a0In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Geology"","block_context":{"text":"Geology","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/geology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Facade of Natural History Museum","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/NatHistFrontVandB229.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/NatHistFrontVandB229.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/NatHistFrontVandB229.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/NatHistFrontVandB229.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/NatHistFrontVandB229.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/NatHistFrontVandB229.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":147,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2014\/12\/12\/a-bit-of-a-thing-about-railways\/","url_meta":{"origin":594,"position":2},"title":"A Bit of a Thing About Railways","author":"ablockhead","date":"12th December 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're a railway enthusiast, then you could hardly do better than to pick Hastings as a base. Just in the town alone, there are four, not counting the 'professional' main line services, and it used to have a network of trams. The trams are long gone, but a miniature\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hastings"","block_context":{"text":"Hastings","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/hastings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"East Hill Funicular Overlooks the Fisherman's Beach ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/East-Funicular-Beach-012V2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/East-Funicular-Beach-012V2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/East-Funicular-Beach-012V2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/East-Funicular-Beach-012V2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":610,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/08\/10\/university-of-vienna\/","url_meta":{"origin":594,"position":3},"title":"University of Vienna","author":"ablockhead","date":"10th August 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Vienna University has educated and employed so many illustrious scientists (not to mention eminent scholars in many other disciplines) that the chance to get inside was too good to miss.\u00a0 Fortunately, this venerable institution (founded 1365) offers tours of several sites, including the magnificent main building on the Ringstra\u00dfe. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Facade of Vienna University Main Building","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/UniFacadeVandB142V3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/UniFacadeVandB142V3.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/UniFacadeVandB142V3.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/UniFacadeVandB142V3.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":140,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2014\/12\/15\/and-yet-more-steam-engines\/","url_meta":{"origin":594,"position":4},"title":"And Yet More Steam Engines","author":"ablockhead","date":"15th December 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"If a visit to the Giants of Brede isn't enough to slake your thirst for 19th and early 20th century engineering, then the Kent and East Sussex Light Railway runs through nearby Northiam, where you can watch the antique locomotives take on water at the restored station which, with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hastings"","block_context":{"text":"Hastings","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/hastings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kent & East Sussex Railway - Locomotive at Level Crossing, Northiam Station","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/loco-at-level-crossing-station-Resized.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/loco-at-level-crossing-station-Resized.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/loco-at-level-crossing-station-Resized.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/12\/loco-at-level-crossing-station-Resized.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":690,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2016\/03\/25\/royal-greenwich\/","url_meta":{"origin":594,"position":5},"title":"Royal Greenwich","author":"ablockhead","date":"25th March 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Greenwich makes a great day out for both ordinary and scientific tourists, with a wealth of historical, cultural and architectural attractions, not to mention some of the best views in London. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is, after all, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Its credentials as an unmissable destination for the Scientific Tourist\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Astronomy"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wren's magnificent Naval Hospital frames Inigo Jones' Queens House and Wren's Royal Observatory atop the hill","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/Naval_College_Flamsteed_Greenwich-089.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/Naval_College_Flamsteed_Greenwich-089.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/Naval_College_Flamsteed_Greenwich-089.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/Naval_College_Flamsteed_Greenwich-089.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1438,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions\/1438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}