'Brain Teasers' exhibit tests visitors ability to solve problems

Balancing 13 nails on one nail or trying to move two balls to opposite ends of a rocker might seem like an easy task, but chances are you'll find it harder to solve than your finite homework. Those challenges are just two of the 20 puzzles available to be solved at the WonderLab exhibition "Brain Teasers," running through May 30. \n"Brain Teasers" is a hands-on exhibition designed for both children and adults. By bringing this exhibition into WonderLab, organizers are trying to stir interest with an older crowd. "Brain Teasers" is the only traveling exhibition WonderLab will host this year. More importantly, this is the first time this exhibition has visited Indiana.\n"We chose 'Brain Teasers' because it's a nationally-recognized exhibition," said Louise Schlesinger of WonderLab. "It was also created by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, which has a reputation for being high regarded." \nPart of the appeal of the exhibition is the levels of difficulty each puzzle presents, said Clint Baker, a museum guide. \n"A lot of it has to do with the diversity of the challenges," said Baker. "Some of the puzzles are left brain oriented and some are right brain."\nBaker said one of the most popular puzzles is the nail puzzle. The puzzle presents the seemingly impossible challenge of balancing 13 nails on top of the head of one nail. \nThere is still one puzzle that has yet to be solved, -- the Five-Room House puzzle. For this puzzle, the object is to make a rope go through all the doors of the house plan on the exhibit. However, the rope can only go through each room once and can't cross over itself or the walls. Nobody has been able to solve the puzzle. Even Schlesinger seems mystified, only saying it is "likely" there is a solution to this challenge\nBut even for the ones that have been solved, the museum guides do not give the solutions to the puzzles for visitors. What they will give is hints. "To know the solution but to hold my tongue while someone is working it out is hard," said Baker.\nRick Goldsworthy tried and solved eight puzzles while visiting WonderLab with his two pre-school children. Although none of the puzzles included in "Brain Teasers" are strictly designed for pre-school children, WonderLab has added two stations designed for that age group. \nGoldsworthy said he believes the puzzles are tricky and make many of the patrons break out of normal thinking patterns.\n"The puzzles are fairly hard, but they are good for me because it gives me something to do while the kids run around," said Goldsworthy, who visited the exhibition Saturday. \nWonderLab is located at 308 W. 4th St. in downtown Bloomington. It's open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $5.50 for children, $6.50 for adults and $6.00 for seniors. Memberships are available. \n"I have heard people say I need to grab a kid and go to WonderLab," said Schlesinger. "But you don't need to grab a kid, just come to WonderLab."\n-- Contact staff writer Maggie Bozich at mbozich@indiana.edu.