Scientific Structures are a set collecting aspect to the game of 7 Wonders. Throughout the game you, as the player, will occasionally come across one of three types of Scientific Structure. They could have a Gear on them, a Compass on them, or a Tablet. There are 8 of each card in the game, spread across the ages, and you get points for collecting them in different ways.
Although there are 8 of each of the three types of card, it is impossible to collect all 8 in the base game (although not with the Leaders expansion). This is because there are 24 Scientific Structures and the maximum number of cards you can have in the game is 18.
Step 1
Firstly, you get squared points for each multiple of an icon you have. For instance, if you have 1 gear, you will get 12 points. If you have 2 gears then you get 22 points. If you have 3 gears then you will get 32 points. You get the idea.