MOTION

Tablecloth Trick

At home, set the kitchen table with a tablecloth and some heavy and light unbreakable cutlery and crockery. Pull the tablecloth out quickly. What objects move the least and which ones move the most?

This is an example of inertia - the tendency for an object to continue at rest if it was previously still, and also to keep moving if it was previously moving. Heavy objects have more inertia.

Spinning Eggs

You will need a raw egg, a hard-boiled egg and a smooth table top.

Spin each egg equally on the table top and observe which egg spins fastest and longest.

The hard-boiled egg should spin longest. The inertia of the raw egg brings it to a stop more rapidly than the hard-boiled egg.