The Sandbox

Experiments!

Jet Boat | Making Waves | Underwater Scope | Eruption! | Water Swinger | I Haven't The Foggiest Idea | Old Sea Salt | Why Boats Float and Elephants Sink...

Water Swinger!

Tip a bucket of water upside-down and you'll have a soggy mess to explain, right? Not if you put the right spin on the situation, with the help of a nifty string handled bucket.

Directions:

To make your Swinger, punch three holes in a large plastic yogourt container (use a hole punch), and thread through three equal lengths of rope or heavy cord. Tie a knot on the ends of the cord. Fill the Swinger halfway with water. Start it swinging back and forth, in greater and greater arcs, until you eventually swing it in complete circles. Once you've mastered the vertical technique, try swinging it over your head like a cowboy's lasso.

Why it works:

The water stays in place as long as the pressure caused by the spinning bucket - called centrifugal force - is enough to offset the pull of gravity. How much force is that? Find out by spinning the bucket slower and slower … the answer should come to you in a flash!