The Kaohsiung-based National Science and Technology Museum yesterday unveiled a giant spiraling slide, which lets people slide from the top to the bottom in 12 seconds at a top speed of 67kph.
The museum said the slide is 18m high and 46m long, adding that it worked with Nan E. Design Corp, a private contractor, to import the slide.
The giant spiraling slide helped draw about 800,000 visitors to London’s Tate Modern art gallery within three months when it was unveiled to the public last year at the gallery’s Turbine Hall, the museum said.
Photo: Huang Chia-lin, Taipei Times
Taiwan has become the first nation in Asia to showcase the slide, the museum said.
Museum director-general Chen Shiunn-shyang (陳訓祥) said that the slide enables visitors to not only experience the fun of sliding down at a high speed, but to learn about at least four physics subjects: free fall, centrifugal force, friction and centripetal force.
Children who played on the slide said they had fun, adding that it was both fun and scary to slide from the top to the bottom at such a high speed.
Chen said that the slide was made of stainless steel and acrylic glass.
To use the slide, visitors have to take the elevator to the fourth floor of the museum to reach the top, he said.
“They would then be told to cover the lower part of their body with linen cloth sacks to reduce friction before they can slide down at a speed of 67kph,” he said, adding that visitors who want to use the slide have to be at least 1.25m tall and weigh less than 150kg.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS