This activity is a fun version of the traditional lemon falling into a glass. demonstration of inertia.
It's a simple science trick that works well with a small chocolate egg.
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You will need to
small chocolate egg
Cardboard tube or cardboard rolled into a tube. The egg should fit on top without falling.
big glass
Small card – A5 size
Instructions
Place the A5 sheet of card on top of the pint glass.
Carefully place the tube on the card.
Balance the egg on top of the column. It should be directly above the glass.
Hold the glass with one hand and then quickly pull the A5 card with the other hand.
The chocolate egg should fall into the glass.
Why does the egg fall down?
Isaac Newton's first law states that an object remains stationary or continues to move at the same speed and in a straight line unless acted on by a force.
In simple terms, this means that if an object is not moving, it will not start moving unless a force makes it move.
The egg is heavier than the cardboard column, meaning it does not move as easily as the column when the cardboard is pulled from below.
There is no lateral force acting on the egg, so it falls downward due to gravity.
Isaac Newton's First Law is known as the Law of inertia.
Learn more about Newton's laws of motion and how they apply to space travel in my book. This IS rocket science!
Last updated on March 27, 2024 by Emma Vanstone
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