Balancing Demonstrations

Driving Question: How does the object balance, what is required to balance an object , and how can this be demonstrated?

Answer:An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.- newtons first law. It balances using the center off mass.

INDRODUCTION:.In this balancing demonstration, I will be balancing a spoon and a fork with a toothpick resting on a rim of a glass. This is a demonstration of the center of mass of a mass system.

MATERIALS:

Two Forks

Spoon

Toothpick

Glass of water

Wine cork

Toothpicks

PROCEDURE:

1.start by pushing the spoon and the fork together.

2.Balance the utensils on your finger to find the middle point. This is where the toothpick should be inserted between the utensils

3.Carefully rest the toothpick on the rim of the glass, and slide the toothpick back and forth along the rim untill you think you've found the perfect balancing point. Slowly pull your hands away to reveal the amazing balancing contraption.

4.Once you got it to balance, strike a match and burn the end of the toothpick that is hanging inside of the glass

SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPAL:

The center of gravity of any object is the point about which you can balance the object as if all the masses were concentrated or gathered at this point. In other words, it's the point at which the object balances from left to right, front and back, and top and bottom. In this balancing fork act, the center of gravity is right below the spot where the toothpick rests on the rim of the glass. This actually puts the center of gravity directly below the point where the toothpick is balanced (called the pivot point). Here's where it gets really strange: the center of gravity, where the forks balance front and back, left and right, top and bottom, is actually hanging in mid-air.

SAFETEY REGULATIONS:

1.make sure to have someone to help you with lighting the match.

2.be aware and carefull when pushing the spoon and the fork together.