Exploratorium home Exploratorium home Explo.tv
Browse programs by:
There’s no mistaking the distinct voice—whether throbbing, singing, or screaming—of an electric guitar. How does one instrument produce so many different sounds? We visit with Bay Area electric guitarists Ava Mendoza and Henry Kaiser, plus Subway Guitars’ very own Fat Dog, to explore the components of this versatile instrument, getting down to pick-ups, “pots,” and pedals that make it sing.

Staff educator Modesto Tamez tells how he gets students exploring electromagnets, a great preparation for making an electric motor.


Meet Dr. Ethan Brodsky from the U. of Wisconsin, who advised a group of undergraduate students in the design and build of an electric snowmobile. Video produced by Ice Stories correspondent Zoe Courville.

An introduction to the jitterbug, a simple motorized toy made of a recycled CD and a DC motor.

A detailed demonstration of how to make this toy, including a discussion of materials needed.

The science behind this toy, including a discussion of how electric circuits work, and how an unbalanced load (an off-center weight on your jitterbug) results in rotational vibration.

Exploratorium Senior Scientist, Dr. Paul Doherty, takes us through the Photoelectric Effect and the "invention" of photons.
