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Try this at home

Swinging baubles

 YOU NEED:

Two reasonably weighty identical Christmas baubles and some curling ribbon or string

 

METHOD:

Tie each bauble to pieces of string of identical lengths. Tie the two pieces of string to another, horizontal piece of string so the two baubles hang side by side. Tie each end of the string to immovable objects or get two volunteers to hold each end very still. Start the first bauble swinging (Bauble 1) without disturbing Bauble 2 and watch what happens.

 

RESULT:

The action of Bauble 1 swinging begins to drive Bauble 2. Bauble 2 begins to overtake Bauble 1 in the size of the swing as the energy of Bauble 1 is transferred to it. Bauble 1 eventually becomes stationary. The process then reverses, with the energy of Bauble 2 slowly transferring back to Bauble 1. The baubles will stop swinging eventually due to friction. Try altering the length of the string tied to the baubles or the distance between them to see what happens.

 

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NOISE (New Outlooks In Science & Engineering) is a UK-wide campaign funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Initiated in 2000, it aims to raise awareness of science and engineering among young people. www.epsrc.ac.uk
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