Gravity Experiments, Reducing Gravity, and
Amplifying Gravity
Earn $200 to $300
a day working from home
Click here to make money
from home
Center of Gravity
Purpose: To determine how the height of the center of gravity of an object affects its
ability its mechanical stability (falling over).
Materials:
Two empty 2-liter soda bottles with lids
Tap water
Procedure:
Fill one bottle to overflowing with water, and fill the other bottle about one-fourth
full. Seal the bottles with their caps.
Stand the bottles side by side on a table.
Tilt each bottle slightly, supporting the top of the bottle with your finger, and then
release it. Does the bottle tip over or does it return to a standing position?
Continue increasing the amount of the tilt until one of the bottles falls over.
Predict: How will the amount of water affect its center of gravity and stability? Which
bottle will likely fall first?
True or False? A short person is less likely to fall than a tall person? Why?
Try this: Does the length of your feet affect how far you can lean forward without
falling?
Center of Gravity
Results: The center of gravity of an object is the point where the
weight of the object appears to be concentrated. An object is stable when its center of
gravity, the place where the weight seems to be concentrated, is located over its base.
The lower an object's center of gravity is compared to its height, the less likely it is
to fall over. This ability to resist falling over is known as mechanical stability.
Why? An object is in a state of mechanical stability when it falls back to its original
position when tilted slightly. The bottle with the lesser amount of water has a lower
center of gravity. The lower the center of gravity, the greater the stability of the
bottle, so it was able to be tilted farther without falling over.
True or False? True! The height of a person doesn't affect whether or not they might trip,
but it does affect the mechanical stability of the person. Generally, shorter people have
a lower center of gravity and greater mechanical stability than a tall person.
Page 1 2 3
|
|
Take the Tour