Water Centrifuge with Cork and Balls

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 Code Number :   1D52.30

Disclaimer:

Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website.

The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources.

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Condition :   Excellent  
Principle :   Central Forces  
Area of Study :  Fluid Dynamics 
Equipment :   2-Liter pop bottle, steel balls, marbles, cork.

Procedure :   Place the steel balls or marbles in a 2-Liter pop bottle and fill with water.  Place the bottle on its side in the middle of the rotating air table and give it a spin.  The cork should move to the center of the bottle while the marbles or steel balls should move to the end of the bottle.
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   References

 


Keith Bellof, "Student-Discovered Gem", TPT, Vol. 45, # 8, Nov. 2007, p. 524.

Martin Gardner, "The Marble and the Cork," TPT, Vol. 34, # 3, p. 146, March 1996.

Thomas J. Pickett, "The Marble, Cork, and Centrifuge," TPT, Vol. 34, # 7, p. 422, Oct. 1996.

 

Neil. A. Downie, "Centripetal Chaos", Ink Sandwiches, Electric Worms and 37 Other Experiments for Saturday Science, p. 134.



Mail Questions and Comments to:  Dale Stille