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The martian hat is made of wire and two tennis balls. It will balance on a person's head at the point in the middle but not if flipped upside down. This can be done to discuss center of mass.
Once the martian hat is balanced on an individual's head, the person can quickly rotate and the hat will remain stable while the person rotates beneath it.
* Equipment seen in the video may vary from equipment used in ND Demonstrations. See information and images below for ND equipment and setup.
Setup:
Place the martian hat on the lab table.
Place the martian hat on your head or a volunteer's head. Have the person quickly spin.
You may flip the hat over to discuss center of mass and why it will only balance in one position.
Notes:
This works best on someone with less hair or hair pulled smooth so that it does not bump the wire.
This demonstration may require a little practice.
Courses Used In:
PHY 10111
PHY 10310
PHY 10410
PHY 10320
Discussion and Polling Questions:
What changes if you move slowly vs. move quickly?
How would this experiment change if you used heavier baseballs? What if we used lighter ping pong balls?
Equipment Needed:
Martian Hat
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