Science Question: Can you fight gravity?
Supplies needed:
- Hot glue gun
- 4 to 11 marbles
The Experiment
Using the hot glue, glue three of the marbles together into a triangle shape. Glue the fourth marble to the centre of the triangle, making a pyramid of sorts.
Put your pile of marbles on a flat surface, balance it on one of its ends and spin the marbles.
Gravity usually makes things fall. Try balancing the marbles in an “upside-down pyramid” without spinning it – you can’t.
The Outcome
Your marble pyramid should have kept spinning for a while but could not balance by itself.
Why it worked
In order for the pile of marbles to stay upright on the table, you need to counteract gravity. As you spun the marbles, you made an axis for the marbles to move around. The momentum of the spin kept the spinning top pyramid upright. If there was no friction and the top was perfectly balanced, it would keep spinning for a very long time, indefinitely, much like our planet Earth.
Safety first!
Using a glue gun is an acquired skill. Adults can complete this part for younger participants.
Tip
Go big! Add another layer of marbles to your top. Make it 11 marbles big!
Try this!
Have a spinning top contest. See which spinning marbles will spin the longest. You can even have a “battle” and try to spin the marbles into each other. See if the force of your marble pile will interrupt or change the axis of the other spinning marbles’ path.
Source: The 101 Coolest Science Experiments by Rachel Miller, Holly Homer and Jamie Harrington.