Gifts for Scientists and Science Lovers

Gifts for science lovers, field by field

Physics

A physicist likes objects that obey a law they can name. The Euler's Disk ($99.99) spins on a concave mirror and seems to speed up before it stops, an effect of the precession of its axis and very low friction. The Orbital Solar System Desk Toy ($53.99) has no motor and no power supply: a single push sets its gold and green spheres swinging. As for the Super Precision Gyroscope ($59.99), it stays balanced in surprising positions for as long as it spins. For more, browse our full collection of physics gifts.

Chemistry

For a chemist, a visible change beats any lecture. In the Storm Globe ($84.99), a glass globe on a wooden or glass base, the crystals change their look from one day to the next. The Magic Sakura Tree ($24.99) is a paper tree: pour its liquid over the bare branches, and pink blossoms appear within a few hours. The Periodic Table Poster (from $16.99) lists each element's symbol, name and atomic number, and comes in five sizes. Our chemistry gifts hold more lab-inspired ideas.

Astronomy

For the astronomy buff, think of objects that model the solar system as well as those that project the sky. The Wooden Perpetual Calendar ($79.99), in walnut wood, shows the month, the day and the week, with magnets placed like planets around the sun. The Magnetic Solar System ($29.99) keeps its two rings moving thanks to a photovoltaic panel, and the Planetarium Galaxy Projector ($259.99) projects a constellation map with one of its two discs. To observe the real sky, see our gifts for astronomy fans.

Geology and life sciences

For someone interested in the Earth and living things, a real mineral beats a photo. The Amethyst Geode (from $59.99) is lined with amethyst crystals, a variety of quartz, and comes in three weights. The Raw Labradorite (from $24.99) shows metallic sheens that shift with the light, an effect called labradorescence. On the living side, the Capsule Origin vase ($29.99), an hourglass of clear glass, lets you follow an avocado pit's roots all the way down to the water. For more stones and minerals, see our geology gifts; for plants and living things, our biology gifts.

Math and geometry

Math lovers enjoy shapes that defy intuition. The Klein Bottle (from $44.99) recreates in glass the surface described by Felix Klein in 1882: there is no telling the inside from the outside, and you fill it from underneath. The Metal Oloid ($59.99) is formed from two circles and rolls with a steady wobble across the desk. The Science Rubik's Cube ($28.99) covers its faces with famous equations, and comes with a display stand. More puzzles and impossible shapes are waiting among our math gifts.

Magnetism

Magnetism acts at a distance, and these three objects show it. In the Solar Stirling Engine ($79.99), a solar panel powers coils that react to the magnets in the base, and the Lorentz force turns the rotor. The Levitating Moon Lamp ($169.99) holds its moon about half an inch above the stand with magnets, and it turns freely without touching it. The Kinetic Art Sculpture ($38.99) comes with 170 magnetic balls to build into chains, spirals or towers. You'll find more in our magnetic gifts.

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A principle they'll love to explain

For a true enthusiast, the object matters less than what it lets them show. Choose a principle they'll enjoy explaining to friends and family: why the disk seems to speed up, how heat makes an engine turn, why a glass ball sinks when the room warms up. For a teacher, our selection of science teacher gifts is sorted by subject, and a gadget fan will find plenty on our page of gifts for geeks.