'It's like if'. The power of exhibit in science center and museum between immersion and illusion

A short survey shows how the artificial - In a broader sense - is used at present in museums and science centers. The latter in particular have upset the identity of museums often changing their aim: from the ancient mottos like "look but do not touch" or "do not touch" to - through the experience of Frank Oppenheimer with the Exploratorium in San Francisco (USA) - "it is forbidden not to touch", with interesting experiences in Europe - in Great Britain with Richard Gregory and the Exploratory, recently merged in (@Bristol - and in Italy. In this transition, exhibits have had a fundamental role: from very simple objects, like a Moebius tape with verses written upon it that can be re-read in a different way by cutting the tape, to very complex and involving objects like performances and interactions in virtual reality. All according to an old pedagogic maxim which says that it is useful to "learn while having fun", which in English is resumed in a single word: edutainment