If you really want to know exactly when the dinosaurs were prowling the Yorkshire coast or when prehistoric man first made a pot to cook in you have to ask a scientist.
To find out how old you are we would need your birth certificate. You can say that you are younger than your mum and perhaps older than your brother but that does not show exactly how old you are. It is the same with objects, we might be able to put them in order, but without the date on the birth certificate it is very difficult for us to work out when they were made.
However, scientists have come to the rescue. They have discovered clues inside objects that can lead us to find a date. These clues are changes that occur inside materials. Sometimes we can see them with our own eyes. Other times they can only be detected with specialist scientific machines. Detecting and measuring these changes allows us to work out the date when an object was made – the date on the birth certificate!
Unlocking Time invites you to explore how these clues: atoms, magnets and even light can help us find the dates when things were made.
Visit the following pages to find out more about Unlocking Time.
Heat and Light
Magnetism
Radioactivity
Molecules
Growth Rings and Bands
What our Visitors Think
’It’s very interesting and the children have enjoyed it. We’ve learned a lot and we liked being able to compare the same objects from different eras.’
’It’s good because there’s lots of stuff to do - you’re not just running round being bored!’
Visitors to Fingerprints of Time at the Yorkshire Museum, York