KEY: Can't find an exhibit or have a question? Ask an explainer Refers to the exhibit graphics and the instructions in them Refers to things to do not suggested in the instructions on the exhibit

This little tour around the museum asks you to look at yourself a lot, so don't worry about your friends thinking you're vain. (Even if you are!) Although we are used to having mirrors around, they are actually pretty strange things when you think about it. What was it like in the long span of human history before mirrors? (Well sure, one could always have looked into a still pool of water, but you can't find those all the time! And polished metals or glass are relatively recent inventions.) Can you imagine not knowing what you looked like? If you were having a bad hair day, you'd have to ask someone to find out. Here's another question: If we couldn't see ourselves, how much would we care what we looked like? The funny thing is most mirrors don't really show you how you look to other people…

This exhibit takes advantage of our body's symmetry to show a powerful illusion. Why is this exhibit called the Anti-Gravity Mirror? How do you make yourself into a three-eyed, two-nosed monster? Pretend that your image in the mirror is actually another person who looks a lot like you. Put your hand over your left ear. What ear is the person in the mirror covering?

This mirror reflects differently, depending on how you look at it. With the mirror horizontal, what happens to your image as you move from very close to further away? When you're further away, put your hand over your left ear. Notice anything different between this reflection and the one in a flat mirror? What do you think might be the reason for this? Which image of you do you like better? Try staring into the mirror as you slowly turn it around. How does this make you feel? How light reflects in flat and cylindrical mirrors:

This exhibit is fun to do with a few friends. Suddenly you have many friends! How do you feel when you're in the kaleidoscope? How many of your images can you count? (Don't go crazy, though!) Besides size, what's different about the images further away? Can you guess why?

Look at a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. Which is your dominant eye? Put your hand over your left ear. Which ear is the upside-down you in the mirror covering? Here's a thought experiment: Where does a rubber ball go if you throw it straight into a corner?

This exhibit gives you facial expressions you never thought you had! What are the most distorted "surgeries?" Try making some faces (happy, sad, angry, etc.) when you freeze your face, then see if a friend can recognize what kind of face you made from seeing it post-surgery. With a friend, squish your faces together so you can line up one eye each with the eyeholes on the screen. What happens?

This one is kind of like Elastic Surgery, but you can put all the different projections on the screen at once. Imagine that your face is a map of the world. Pick 3 projections and state how (if they were a map of the world) they might change your image of the world. If your face is the orange peel, what is the orange?

What does it mean to be able to "discern" something?     There are no instructions on this exhibit - so just experiment! Press "Reset," and then try pressing different buttons, one at a time. Notice how each time you hit a key with arrows on it, your face gets more or less recognizable. This quality, digitally speaking, is called "resolution." Make your image as fragmented as it can be. How many hits of the increase-resolution key do you need to recognize yourself? How about for a friend to recognize you? A random museum visitor? (ask an Explainer!) What do you think the numbers 2, 4, 6 and 8 on the numbered buttons mean?

This activity is only on this page, don't look for it, just do it! (if you're going to rob a bank, wear a wig)   What's going on here?

Try this exhibit with someone who looks nothing like you. You might have more in common than you think! What happens? Do you think any of your facial features remain prominent? Which ones? How about your partner's? What do you think is your most distinguishing feature? What happens when you do the last experiment (both lights bright, blue buttons pressed)?

You can make a jigsaw puzzle of your face. Move your heads up and down to change the face in the glass. Does the image in the glass look more like you, or more like your friend? Which of your features are visible when you think the image looks more like you? Which of your friend's features are visible when you think the image looks more like him/her?

Now that you're so familiar with your own youthful face, try to imagine what it might look like when you're 80 years old! Experiment with the exhibit. What does it do to time? Go to level 8, "Events that occur over decades." Check out the woman aging. Strange, isn't it? In your lifetime so far, have you noticed people grow older? What was most noticeable about it? Why might it be important to recognize people as older? How have you noticed aging in other animals, such as pets? Describe 3 other events that occur in a human lifespan. (You can use the exhibit for this one.) Does an 80-year lifespan seem long or short to you? Why? What events might happen that you wouldn't want to miss? Check out the plants growing or rotting in level 5. Have you noticed these events before? Name 3 natural events that you have noticed over a period of weeks. Name 3 natural events that you have noticed over a period of months?